LONDON, 26 January 2021: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), released major guidelines Monday focusing on how private sector organisations can implement health and hygiene protocols and improve public confidence in travel.
The guidelines are a follow up to the health and safety protocols WTTC released in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and following the signing of a memorandum of collaboration with IOSH.
The Safe Travels protocols were designed to rebuild confidence among consumers so they may travel safely, once restrictions are lifted. They provide consistency to destinations and countries as well as guidance to travellers about the approach to health and hygiene in the post-Covid-19 world.
As travel and tourism companies aim to recover from the Covid-19, rebuilding consumer confidence through health and hygiene protocols in all operations has emerged as one of the biggest priorities.
The guidelines are divided into four parts:
Acknowledging Common Pitfalls;
Introduction for Managers;
Managers’ Toolkit;
Additional Material for Managers in Customer-Facing Roles.
As the chartered body for occupational safety and health professionals and a leading developer of safety and health training courses, IOSH is ideal for preventing accidents and ill-health in the sector.
This collaboration aims to help further the travel and tourism sector recovery from the pandemic by leveraging IOSH’s experience, and practical solutions to help organisations and businesses best look after their workforce’s safety and health.
WTTC President & CEO, Gloria Guevara said: “Consumer and employee confidence are key components in the recovery of the travel & tourism sector, and we believe this document will play a significant role in that process. Meaningful engagement is needed across organisations to ensure that the protocols are successfully implemented, and our goal is to support the private sector in ensuring they are able to have the highest level of health and safety.”
IOSH head of advice and practice, Duncan Spencer said: “The management of safety and health is crucial to businesses in travel & tourism and other sectors as they seek to recover from the impact of Covid-19. By successfully managing the risks, organisations can not only protect their people but demonstrate safety and health and thereby gain confidence among their consumer base in how they are operating.
