World Travel and Tourism Council unveils rental protocols
Worldwide: The World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC] has unveiled a new set of safe travelling protocols, covering attractions, car hires, and short-term rentals.
This third phase of measures is part of the council’s ‘Safe Travels’ initiative, hoping to reduce risk and bolster consumer confidence.
The WTTC, which represents the travel industry private sector, held discussions with core stakeholders and organisations to ensure widespread adoption and to assuage concerns of practicality. This new stamp is further backed by the World Health Organisation [WHO] and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO].
Gloria Guevara Manzo, WTTC president and CEO, said: “Worldwide attractions, car hire and short-term rentals, all represent key components of many family holidays, so it’s vital we establish measures which allow safe travels to take place for holidaymakers and travellers. Consumer confidence is crucial to create a climate in which Travel & Tourism can resume.
“We know travellers will want to explore and engage with the world around them once more and their return will also help power the world’s much-needed economic recovery,” she added.
The specific measures covering short-term rentals focus on ensuring both constant sanitation of problem areas and reducing the amount of potential contact between guests and staff. Specific measures include encouraging adoption of contactless check-in/out, enhanced sanitation, and guidelines on how to properly physically distance.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said of the measures: “The desire to travel is deeply rooted in humanity. The industry will rebound and is critical to supporting the social and economic recovery of communities.
“Airbnb welcomes the WTTC’s work to create health and safety protocols that protect communities and support governmental efforts to reopen economies,” he added.
The WTTC has noted that many countries have fully adopted safety protocol for tourism and created similar certifications for their industries. These new protocols follow the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to allow England’s hospitality sector to reopen from 4 July.
