The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is praising millions of people around the world in the travel and tourism sector for going the extra mile to lend crucial help to combat the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The thank you from WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara was made on behalf of travel companies throughout the globe’s private sector.
Millions of people employed by WTTC member companies large and small have volunteered their time and expertise, many putting their own lives on the line, to provide essential help to their beleaguered communities with relief efforts. This ranges from furloughed airline cabin crew being deployed to help in hospitals to operating additional flights for medical cargo, luxury hotels opening their doors to provide free rooms to healthcare workers or helping with grocery shopping and running errands for the elderly self-isolating.
Additional examples include:
Hotel giants like Hilton and Marriott have teamed up with American Express to launch their Rooms for Responders initiative, offering free accommodation to more than a million healthcare professionals across 10 medical associations fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, employees working for Carnival have offered a number of its ships to act as floating hospitals to treat patients suffering from less-critical, non-coronavirus related conditions.
Room Mate have also offered up hotels in New York, Madrid and Barcelona, to be transformed into temporary hospitals to help in the COVID-19 fight.
United Airlines has offered free flights to New York and California to medical personnel. Spanish flag carrier Iberia is working with the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies and the Oesía Group to bring medical supplies from China to fight COVID-19. Furloughed airline cabin crew have responded in numerous ways. In the UK, those working for TUI Airways have provided essential support to the health systems, in order to help relieve pressure on health workers.
In China, Trip.com has donated more than three million surgical masks to more than 25 countries around the world.
Like many other industries, the travel and tourism sector has faced near collapse and a battle for survival due to the extensive travel restrictions and lockdowns ordered by governments across the world to stop the spread of the pandemic. Latest WTTC research reveals up to 75 million travel and tourism sector jobs are at risk globally.
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