(TAN): The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said one million jobs are being lost on a daily basis in the tourism sector owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The organisation, which represents the global travel and tourism private sector, revealed “a staggering one million jobs are being lost every day in the Travel and Tourism sector due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic”.
The WTTC said “huge numbers of suppliers worldwide” are getting affected by the growing travel bans, suspension of flights and cruise trips, and shutting down of hotels.
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These job losses are not confined to any specific level; they are having an impact on every level of the industry, including small and medium-sized businesses across the sector, WTTC said. Businesses such as that of tour operators, travel agents and individual traders are bearing the brunt of the pandemic.
WTTC President and Chief Executive Officer, Gloria Guevara, said the global health disaster is ruining millions of jobs around the world.
“While the priority for governments is to keep people safe, this global health catastrophe means a million people a day in the Travel & Tourism industry alone are losing their jobs and facing potential ruin due to the disastrous impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is heartbreaking that the livelihoods of millions of people who have dedicated their lives to the Travel & Tourism sector are being decimated; from waiters to taxi drivers, guides to chefs and caterers, pilots to cleaners,” she said.
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“The relentless cascade of job losses is plunging millions of families into terrible hardship and debt, fearful of how to buy food and pay their bills. The domino effect of Covid-19 is right now having a massive impact, wiping out an entire economic sector,” Guevara added.
The WTTC has urged governments to urgently state how businesses can access loans and tax breaks so that they can be saved from potential breakdown. The international organisation said it is in touch with over 75 countries to resolve the issue.
“Businesses large and small are being forced to rip up their three-year plans and focus on a three-month fight for survival on a daily basis, while people’s jobs are wiped out hour by hour. We fear this situation will only deteriorate unless more action is taken immediately by governments to address it. While some governments have been quick to respond with promises of help, the majority of businesses still have no idea how to access these potentially life-saving loans and tax breaks,” Guevara said.
“Today we call on governments around the world to make crystal clear how businesses can access funds, which can prevent the hemorrhage of jobs throughout the Travel & Tourism sector,” she added.
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Earlier this month, WTTC said up to 50 million jobs in the travel sector worldwide are at immediate risk because of the pandemic. It had also said the crisis could lead to a 12% to 14% loss in terms of employment as global travel will be impacted by up to 25% this year, which is as much as a loss of a quarter of a year’s global travel.
WTTC recently appealed to the governments to adopt a three-point plan to fight the impact of the pandemic in order to save the industry which contributes to 10.4% of global GDP and 320 million jobs.
The points included protecting the salaries, incomes and jobs of the workers who are at risk, extending vital, unlimited interest-free loans to provide liquidity to large and small businesses to prevent them from collapse, and waiving all dues, taxes or financial charges for at least the next 12 months.
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