COVID-19 rapid response team to aid global travel industry
Rebuilding.travel is less than three weeks old but may already be the most influential and different initiative on the globe to counter COVID-19 within the global travel and tourism industry.
496 travel and tourism leaders from 106 countries registered in this grassroots initiative.
Members of the high-level task force include ministers of tourism, heads of tourism boards, leaders in the aviation and hospitality industry, academic and association leader. There is no charge for travel and tourism leaders to become listed on on www.rebuilding.travel/register
The next weekly zoom meeting will hear from Tom Jenkins, CEO of the European Tour Operator Association (ETOA) and Raed Habbis from Saudi Arabia.
Rebuilding.travel recently launched its COVID-19 Rapid Response Team beneath the leadership of Dr Peter Tarlow.
Tourism is a fast-paced industry so when crises or (negative) events occur, usually the industry must scramble to keep natural or man-made challenges in order. Currently, COVID-19 has created the best challenge for the travel and tourism industry ever.
This was an emergency about which few if any were prepared. This is a perfect exemplory case of what academics call a “black swan” event It is for this reason that Tourism and More as part of SaferTourism and Rebuilding Tourism has developed a “Pandemic Rapid Response Team” (PRRT).
The rebuilding travel rapid response system is composed of an array of professionals from tourism security authorities to public health personnel, from marketers to professionals running a business recovery. The team will diagnose a specific situation and create a strategic group of priorities that will allow portion of the travel and tourism industry to get back on its feet.
The PRRT can certainly help locales to cope with the evolving situation of health emergencies, public concern with travel, monetary turndown, and an irregular currency markets. Although COVID-19 is a worldwide phenomenon, its impact differs for each and every tourism destination.
For instance, destinations that are air or sea dependent could have different problems from destinations that may turn to a domestic market for the short-term. Long haul markets such as for example Hawaii, or the Caribbean cannot rely upon domestic travel. Other markets such as Korea, Europe, and the United States may be able to use domestic travel as a stop-gap measure.
