The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has been working towards providing support to the global travel and tourism industry since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In an effort to urge citizens across the world to stay at home, UNWTO launched the “Travel Tomorrow” campaign.
The campaign was launched with the aim of spreading the message of solidarity and hope, urging travelers and the tourism sector around the world to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discovering different cultures, practicing solidarity and respect, caring for the environment, continuing to learn, establishing development and sustainability, fostering decent work as well as generating new opportunities for all are some of the key pillars of the campaign. These are also the core values of tourism advocated by UNWTO.
Ever since the launch of the online campaign, it has successfully managed to leave a remarkable impact on social networking sites. Numerous countries, destinations, and companies related to tourism, cities, media outlets and individuals across the world have embraced the campaign with wide arms. Countries such as Germany, Morocco, Mongolia, Oman, and Uruguay, as well as cities such as Bogotá or Vienna, have already endorsed the hashtag “Travel Tomorrow”.
The campaign has been successful in amplifying the voice of tourism and keeping the sector united in the face of the unprecedented global crisis. It has become the common thread that runs through the World Tourism Organization’s response to the present challenges and highlighted the enduring values of tourism.
UNTWO has created a digital resource platform to provide different options for any individual, business or institutional user to join this initiative. It offers elements such as images for social media profiles, electronic signatures, as well as relevant audio-visual content on tourism and COVID-19.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO said in a recent press statement that tourism has proven itself as a key driver of international recovery. He mentioned that the industry should now be prepared to build the foundations of the future resilience of tourism. He also added that in order to travel again soon in a safer, more sustainable and respectful way, the response against coronavirus must be fast, coherent and united. He concluded that lessons must also be learned from the current crisis.
