Adventure tourism stands out as a leading segment in the recovery of tourism at a global level, since outdoor travel experiences will predominate in the short term as preference of visitors. This was stated by the Executive Director of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Virginia Messina, during her participation in the virtual plenary conference of Advernture Travel Network 2020 (ATMEX).
In her speech, Messina highlighted that according to an analysis of internet search preferences, adventure tourism proved to be the leading segment. “We believe that tourism can be reactivated in the short term at a global level, and consider that borders can be opened if we work in a coordinated way between the public and private sectors, with the application of rapid tests in airports, since the health security is fundamental”, she emphasized.
National and regional vacations, with outdoor experiences, will predominate in the short term in the preference of travelers. On the immediate future of travel and tourism, it was reported that a survey recently carried out by the WTTC, reveals that 80% of travelers fear travel quarantines or the possibility of contracting the virus during their visit, 45 percent of those travelers declare themselves ready to carry a digital passport and 58 percent of them give a high priority to sustainable tourism.
She stressed that the World Travel and Tourism Council promotes global actions aimed at the safe reactivation of tourist activity, which allow to regain the confidence of travelers and guarantee safe experiences.
“A series of actions have been promoted that seek the responsible reactivation of tourism, such as the design of hygiene and sanitation protocols in travel establishments, airports, hotels and cruise ships, among others, as well as the issuance of the Safe Travel Seal (Safe Travels Stamp) to recognize the efforts of destinations and protect the health of visitors and residents,” she said.
Full sector reactivation
Messina highlighted that the WTTC recently participated in the G20 Tourism Ministers meeting, where it presented a plan to recover 100 million jobs in the sector globally, with the application of approved measures for travel and tourism, such as removing quarantines and applying rapid virus tests.
Finally, she considered that the travel and tourism sector is resilient and, without a doubt, it will recover very soon from the negative effects of the Pandemic, the key is in coordinated work between the public and private sectors.
According to the WTTC Economic Impact Report, during 2019 the travel and tourism sector was responsible for one in 10 jobs in the world (330 million in total), making a contribution of 10.3% to global GDP and generating one of every four of all new jobs on the planet.
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