14/08/2020
Sri Lanka is among the two latest recipients of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels stamp for safety protocols.
The global safety and hygiene stamp was launched by the WTTC to allow potential travellers to identify places and companies that have adopted standardised health and hygiene protocols, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The other recipient of the stamp, alongside Sri Lanka, is Grenada.
The country was set to welcoming tourist early this month, but the date for reopening for tourism was postponed indefinitely and the approval by the WTTC comes as a silver lining.
“The stamp represents a critical step in rebuilding consumer confidence in Travel and Tourism and allowing travelers to rest easy knowing that enhanced standards of hygiene are in place and they can once again experience ‘Safe Travels’,” WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said.
The council announced new protocols to be adopted by destinations to be awarded the stamp. These protocols were established through the experience of the council’s members in tackling the pandemic and also taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is expected that the new measures would provide ‘consistency and guidance’ to both travel providers and travelers on new approach to ‘health, hygiene, deep cleansing and physical distancing, in the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19 world’.
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority tourism revenue for 2018 was USD 4.38 billion, while in 2019 it fell short to USD 3.61 billion due to the Easter Sunday attacks. The tourism industry has come to standstill as a result of the pandemic.
