The coronavirus pandemic is putting up to 50 MILLION travel and tourism jobs at risk says WTTC

The coronavirus pandemic is putting up to 50 MILLION travel and tourism jobs at risk, with BA warning it will lay off staff and ground aircraft

  • Global travel could be adversely impacted by up to 25 per cent in 2020
  • This could lead to a corresponding reduction in jobs of between 12 and 14%
  • The figures come from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 
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Up to 50 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector are at risk due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and BA is warning that it will cut jobs and ground aircraft.

The latest figures from the WTTC, which represents the global travel and tourism private sector, show that global travel could be adversely impacted by up to 25 per cent in 2020.

This is the equivalent to a loss of three months of global travel, which could lead to a corresponding reduction in jobs of between 12 and 14 per cent.

Up to 50 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector are at risk due to the global Covid-19 pandemic

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: ‘WTTC figures show the stark impact on the travel and tourism sector of the present Covid-19 outbreak, with analysis now suggesting that up to 50 million jobs are at risk in the sector globally.

‘When the time is right, WTTC and the global private sector will be ready to help and support the government and countries to recover.

‘The Covid-19 outbreak clearly presents a significant threat to the industry as a whole, to those employed within it, and those wishing to continue travelling.

‘Travel and tourism has the strength to overcome this challenge and will emerge stronger and more robust by taking all necessary measures to tackle Covid-19 and the understandable concern which surrounds it.’

The WTTC, which is headquartered in London, is calling for a series of measures to be taken to enable the swift recovery of the sector once Covid-19 is under control.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: 'WTTC figures show the stark impact on the travel and tourism sector of the present Covid-19 outbreak'

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: ‘WTTC figures show the stark impact on the travel and tourism sector of the present Covid-19 outbreak’

These include the removal or simplification of visas, the lifting of the 80-20 ‘use it or lose it’ airport slot rule for airlines, the reduction or elimination of travellers’ taxes and support for hard-hit destinations, such as cash-injections for marketing campaigns.

As the WTTC released its figures, BA’s CEO Alex Cruz told staff in a global message seen by Reuters that the airline will ground aircraft like never before and lay off staff due to coronavirus, in a battle by the company to tackle what he called the most serious crisis in aviation history.

‘It is a crisis of global proportions like no other we have known,’ he wrote. ‘Please do not underestimate the seriousness of this for our company.’ 

Cruz told staff in the message that jobs would be lost ‘perhaps for a short period, perhaps longer term’ and that the company was in discussions with trade unions. 

There were 6,729 new coronavirus cases recorded globally on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed number to 134,317. The death toll rose by 351 to 4,968.

It led to several countries being effectively put into lockdown as they closed schools, mass events and shops, while in the US, the mayor of New York declared a state of emergency in the city.

The death toll in Italy – the hardest-hit country after China – climbed from 827 to 1,016 and total infections soared by 21 per cent to 15,113. 

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