Destinations around the world have signed onto the World
Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) global safety and hygiene stamp to
identify destinations that have adopted its
standardized health and hygiene protocols.
WTTC said the Safe Travels stamp enables consumers to
identify places and companies that comply with the suggested protocols WTTC
formulated for hotels, restaurants, airports, cruise lines, tour operators,
restaurants, and transportation. The protocols were devised based on guidelines
from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Since the launch of the Safe Travels stamp last week,
Turkey, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Mauritius, Ontario (Canada), Portugal, Saudi Arabia
and the Mexican destinations of Baja California Sur and Yucatan have adopted
WTTC’s new protocols. Cities that have received the WTTC Safe Travels stamp of
approval include Barcelona, Cancun, Madrid and Seville.
To get the stamp, companies, countries and destinations
share their protocols with WTTC, which validates they are in line with those
devised by the organization. Interested parties must agree in advance to
continuing compliance with the Safe Travels protocols.
“The number of global destinations adopting our private
sector protocols is growing at a rapid pace and it’s hugely gratifying and
shows the success and importance of the WTTC Safe Travels stamp,” WTTC CEO Gloria
Guevara said in a statement. “The stamp is vital to reestablish worldwide
consumer confidence in travel and tourism and so travelers can be sure that
enhanced standards of hygiene are in place for them to be able to travel
safely.”
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also
embraced the WTTC Safe Travels stamp, which have the safety and hygiene of
travelers as their top priority.