Safe travel stamp helps restore traveller confidence

The specially designed stamp was developed to help restore confidence in travellers and work to revive an ailing travel and tourism sector. PHOTO: ImageCollab

The World Travel and Tourism Council announced on 18 September that in just three short months, 100 destinations are now using its Safe Travels stamp, with the Philippines becoming the official 100th destination. The council, which represents the global travel and tourism private sector, made history earlier this year when it launched the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp and has now reached its first major milestone.

Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, says the specially designed stamp was developed to help restore confidence in travellers and work to revive an ailing travel and tourism sector. She says it is now being used by many more major holiday destinations such as the Maldives, Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and Montenegro. “The stamp enables travellers to recognize destinations around the world which have adopted health and hygiene global standardized protocols so they can experience safe travels. The landmark move by the World Travel and Tourism Council received the backing of the United Nations World Tourism Organization,” says Guevara.

The launch of global protocols to recover the travel and tourism sector have been embraced by over 200 CEO’s including some of the world’s major tourism groups. The council is delighted to see their initiative is proving such a great success and is being used by destinations from all corners of the globe.

Guevara says the 100 destinations which now proudly use the stamp are working together to help rebuild consumer confidence worldwide. She says they welcome the Philippines, home to some of the world’s most beautiful islands, as their 100th destination, as well as other popular destinations around the globe such as Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Kenya. “As the stamp continues to gain popularity, travellers will more easily recognize the destinations worldwide which have adopted the new set of global protocols encouraging the return of safe travels around the world. The success of the Safe Travels stamp shows its importance to countries and destinations, travellers and the 330 million people around the world who work in and depend on a thriving the travel and tourism sector,” she says.

Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Philippine secretary of the Department of Tourism, says they are delighted to be awarded the Safe Travels stamp as they pursue the safe and gradual reopening of their tourist destinations. She thanks the World Travel and Tourism Council for recognizing their efforts of putting in place policies concerning health, safety and sanitation protocols they have benchmarked with global best practices and aligned with the council’s standards. “The Safe Travels stamp will further encourage our stakeholders to adhere to health and safety standards and will help us rebuild traveller confidence so we can restart tourism and preserve and sustain jobs. The widespread adoption of the stamp demonstrates that the council and all its members from around the world have the safety and hygiene of travellers as their top priority,” says Romulo-Puyat. The protocols follow guidelines from the World Health Organisation, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and considers best practices from World Travel and Tourism Council’s members. According to the council’s 2020 Economic Impact Report, travel and tourism during 2019 was responsible for one in 10 jobs making a 10.3% contribution to global the gross domestic product and generating one in four of all new jobs.