Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council Summit: Industry leaders come Continued from page 32


[But] we’ve always asked for a passport and checked it against a database. We may need to ask where you have been and to share some of your medical history, and if some [travellers] are not prepared to share that we have to separate them.” He warned: “We are falling


into a segmentation of traffic to be able to risk-assess.” Robin Ingle, chief executive


of Ingle International and a specialist in travel security and risk insurance, told the summit: “We need to ensure people understand how to cross borders. Not every country will agree on border requirements. We need to help customers with the complexity – integrating that into a useable format so travellers know what to do.” Greg Land, global industry


leader for hospitality and travel at IBM, agreed: “We have to look at how healthcare platforms and travel platforms can be integrated and information shared across networks.” Duncan Alexander, digital


solutions director at DXC Technologies, added: “We’re going to have to set up a new standard with advance passenger information and tests that can turnaround in 30-40 minutes. “If protocols are the same,


we can start to create trust. We need a single place for authoritative information.” Brett Tollman, chief


executive of hotels-to-tours group the Travel Corporation, told the summit: “I hope the World Travel & Tourism Council can bring some sense to what comes next. “There is not going be a


vaccine anytime soon. In the meantime, what do we do?”


McKinsey sets out shape of global tourism revival


The Covid-19 crisis will wipe out up to seven years of worldwide tourism growth, according to Nina Wittkamp, associate partner at business services giant McKinsey & Co. Wittkamp said McKinsey


estimates global tourism will lose $450 billion in revenue in 2020, far greater than the impact of the 2008 financial crash. And she told the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council summit: “No one has a crystal ball that can predict how the future will unfold. “It’s critical for the sector to


prepare for multiple scenarios, to take both a short-term and long- term view. A return to travel requires short-term initiatives which may prove costly but will preserve the sector for the long term.” She noted forecasts for the sector


this year remain “dire”, although domestic travel is likely to return, and she warned: “We see lower consumer confidence for the foreseeable future.” However, she added: “There are


‘Governments need to co-ordinate and provide clarity’


Clarity and co-ordination from governments is essential to travel and tourism recovering, say industry leaders. Frank Del Rio, president and


chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, told the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council virtual summit: “We


30 4 JUNE 2020 Nina Wittkamp


need to get momentum. We were running at 100 miles an hour and overnight we were shut down. There has been great harm done to economies and that has to stop.” Gerald Lawless, former


chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council, praised government furlough schemes for helping to protect jobs but said: “It’s disappointing we don’t have coordination between governments. We need coordination.” Clive Jacobs, chairman of Travel


Weekly parent Jacobs Media Group, agreed: “We need clarity from


Clive Jacobs


governments. Tourism is a global phenomenon and we need govern- ments worldwide to set an example.” He described UK quarantine plans as “distinctly unhelpful”.


travelweekly.co.uk


signs of recovery, with some people willing to travel this summer but a lot of borders still closed. Willingness to travel will remain.” Wittkamp described the situation


as “granular” and said revised visa restrictions and enhanced travel insurance options would be needed. “We will see some consolidation


in the industry. Businesses are likely to carry more debt and high fixed costs which could become unsustainable,” she said. “We will see new eco-systems –


collaboration with health agencies and science to develop new protocols [for] the customer journey.” She forecast: “People will prefer


local brands and there will be high expectations on hygiene and health and safety. People will spend more time researching an experience [and] the terms and conditions for booking a trip. Across all segments, customers will look for flexible booking options.” However, Wittkamp insisted:


“Travel is going to come back. People want experiences over just having things. But it will take time. “The crisis is bringing new


challenges for tourism. We are dealing with a reduction in demand and a number of trends leading to a new normal. We see lots of support for upskilling and advanced forms of customer service across the sector and investment in new products.”


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