Sector will need to further ingrain high health & hygiene standards in its DNA through managerial engagement to create a safety culture as it has done with security.
- Document serves as follow up to innovative health and safety protocols released throughout 2020
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), today released major guidelines focusing on how private sector organisations may seek to implement health and hygiene protocols throughout their organisations and thereby improve public confidence in the Travel & Tourism sector.
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 organisations within Travel & Tourism aim to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic which has battered the sector, rebuilding consumer confidence through health and hygiene protocols in all operations has emerged as one of the biggest priorities for WTTC, and the wider sector.
Thus, ensuring that the protocols of health and hygiene are adopted and ingrained into organisational DNA, is a key component of rebuilding consumer confidence.
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 leading developer of safety and health training courses, IOSH is ideally placed to provide support in preventing accidents and ill health in the sector.
This collaboration aims to further help the Travel & Tourism sector recover from the pandemic by leveraging IOSH’s experience and practical solutions to help the organisations and businesses best look after the safety and health of their workforce.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC said: “WTTC is delighted to partner with IOSH once again on such important guidelines. 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.
“2020 was a year like a no other. We saw millions of people around the world lose their livelihoods, and many more struggle financially and emotionally. However, whilst the Travel & Tourism sector suffered enormously, history has shown it to be a resilient sector and we are confident that during the next few months we will begin to see that strong recovery take hold. We believe that these guidelines will help aid in that process and become part of organisational DNA.”
Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice at IOSH, 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.
From the very start of the pandemic, IOSH has been supporting our members and their employers to manage the risks they face. We are delighted continue our collaboration with WTTC and believe this publication will have a significant impact on this sector.”
