To restore confidence in travel, tourists are to be given greater legal protection as consumers under new plans being advanced by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“Uncertainty and a lack of trust in travel are among the biggest challenges we face as we work to restart tourism. An International Code for the Protection of Tourists (ICPT) will be a landmark step towards addressing this,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.

He said establishing a standard set of minimum consumer protection standards for tourists would help make people feel safer and more confident in international travel. “And it will also ensure that the responsibility of managing the disruptions caused by this pandemic is shared fairly across the whole of our sector.”

The ICPT would make the support available to tourists affected by emergency situations clearer and more consistent globally, said Pololikashvili.

In its first meeting on Monday (November 2), the committee for the development of an ICPT featured the active participation of 92 UNWTO member states.

Together, they adopted a concrete plan of action to restore tourists’ confidence through a common and harmonised framework. “Within the next weeks, international organisations, the European Commission and private stakeholders will be called upon to join this unprecedented initiative to achieve a more fair and balanced share of responsibilities among all tourism stakeholders in the post COVID-19 world,” said Pololikashvili.

.Helping tourists in trouble

The UNWTO has also published Recommendations for Assistance to International Tourists in Emergency Situations, laying the groundwork for the ICPT.

They were designed to ensure that responsibility for tourists in emergency situations is shared fairly across the whole of the tourism value chain, including:

• Preventing possible disruptions by drawing up contingency plans and co-ordination protocols and training tourism stakeholders to assist tourists in emergency situations;
• Providing real-time information for tourists;
• Addressing cross-border co-operation between governments and tourism service providers;
• Fostering close collaboration between governments and travel and accommodation providers; and
• Addressing the effective repatriation of tourists.