Travel and tourism won’t recover from shutdown, warns IATA
Airline body IATA has slammed the UK Government’s decision to introduce Covid screening while the mandatory quarantine for most arrivals remains in place.
IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac accused the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan and other countries of a knee-jerk response to the new strains of coronavirus, which prompted their decision to tighten travel restrictions.
He said they have chosen policies that ‘will shut down travel’.
"This approach tells us that these governments are not interested in managing a balanced approach to the risks of Covid-19," he said in a media briefing. "They appear to be aiming for a zero-Covid world. This is an impossible task that comes with severe consequences."
He said that ‘with this approach we know for sure that the travel and tourism economy will not recover’.
De Juniac called for a ‘more balanced public policy approach’ based on testing as a replacement for quarantines.
"Science tells us that travellers will not be a significant factor in community transmission if testing is used effectively," he added. "But most governments have tunnel-vision on quarantine and are not at all focused on finding ways to safely re-open borders—or alleviate the self-imposed economic and mental health hardships of the lockdowns."
England will introduce mandatory Covid tests from Friday 15 January for all arrivals. Those returning from countries not on its travel corridor list will also have to quarantine for up to 10 days, even if they have a negative test result before travelling to England.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025