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Global Travel Taskforce meets to map out safe return to international travel

Government meets with industry players to develop a safe and sustainable plan to restart international travel.

• group will focus on developing a framework to enable more international travel
• key industry players from the aviation, maritime, cruise, international rail and tourism sectors to play a critical role in developing recommendations
• plan will be underpinned by the latest scientific data, keeping the country safe from new COVID variants

The Secretary of State Grant Shapps has today (2 March 2021) chaired the first meeting of the new Global Travel Taskforce to set out a plan for restarting international travel in a safe and sustainable way.

Several government departments, industry bodies, transport operators and travel agencies met to discuss the work of the taskforce and how international travel can be re-opened safely.

This includes developing a new risk-based framework to facilitate international travel, using the suite of measures the government already has in place, such as testing and isolation, and the recommendations from the first Global Travel Taskforce last year .

They will also look at how existing measures, such as the government’s testing and isolation schemes, could be used to facilitate travel while managing the risk of imported cases and ‘variants of concern’.

It will also take place in parallel and be closely integrated with the review into COVID-status certification led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The taskforce will provide a report to the Prime Minister on 12 April, which will be used to help government determine when and how to resume safe international travel no earlier than 17 May 2021.

The decision on when international travel can resume will be dependent on:

• the global and domestic epidemiological picture
• the prevalence and location of any ‘variants of concern’
• the progress of vaccine rollouts here and abroad
• what more the government has learned about the efficacy of vaccines on variants, and the impact on transmission, hospitalisation and deaths

All measures will be kept under review, and people should continue to follow national restrictions for England introduced on 6 January 2021, meaning everyone must stay at home unless travelling for a very limited set of reasons.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said:

The UK ’s leading vaccine rollout has created a wave of optimism and, as a result, the Global Travel Taskforce is charged with exploring safe and secure ways to restart international travel when the time is right. By planning carefully considered steps, we will protect the excellent progress made through our vaccine and advanced testing programme, whilst ensuring we are ready to kick-start our travel sector when current travel restrictions can be lifted. We will not only consider the progress of our world-beating domestic vaccine programme but also need to review where destination countries have got to with both vaccine and testing capabilities.

The government has already put in place a range of tough measures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission at the border, including the:

• introduction of pre-departure testing for all international arrivals
• requirement for those travelling back to the UK from a ‘red list’ country to self-isolate in a government-approved facility for a period of 10 days while there is a heightened risk of transmission from these areas

All international arrivals must also take a COVID-19 test on both day 2 and day 8 of their self-isolation period – with genome sequencing included within the cost of the testing bundle.

Passengers arriving from ‘non-red list’ countries still have the option to pay for a private test and shorten their self-isolation period by up to half through Test to Release, on receipt of a negative COVID-19 result.

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ABTA responds to Government’s announcement on the Global Travel Taskforce and testing

Following the Government’s announcement of a new Global Travel Taskforce, Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA – The Travel Association said:

“The creation of the Global Travel Taskforce shows a recognition from Government of the need to get people travelling again to support the travel industry, which has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis. 

“The taskforce needs to focus on decisive and urgent action, not only on rapidly introducing a testing regime, but also on moving to a regionalised quarantine approach and lifting the global advisory against travel - returning to providing travel advice for individual countries based on the risk to a traveller in destination. 

“Other countries have already moved to introduce testing, and further delays will only serve to exacerbate the industry’s struggles – especially as the winter season is fast approaching. With furlough ending this month, and the new Job Support Scheme doing little to support travel businesses, without tailored support we’ll see more job losses and businesses folding.”

Notes to editors ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for 70 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence.  The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members. 

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA has more than 4,300 travel brands in Membership, providing a wide range of leisure and business travel services, with a combined annual UK turnover of £39 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com .   

WTTC Submission to the Global Travel Taskforce Calls on Rapid Testing on Departure to Revive International Travel

WTTC Submission to the Global Travel Taskforce Calls on Rapid Testing on Departure to Revive International Travel   

Rapid testing on departure at airports is the key to unlocking international travel, says the World Travel & Tourism Council in its submission to the UK government's Global Travel Taskforce. 

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has been at the forefront of global efforts to revive safe travel in the COVID-19 era.

The global tourism body says while the UK’s world-leading vaccine rollout is to be applauded, the Travel & Tourism sector cannot wait for every member of the public to be vaccinated.

Instead, WTTC has urged the government’s Global Travel Taskforce to focus on a combination of vaccines, testing, digital health passes and health and safety protocols, such mandatory face mask wearing, as the way to unlocking the door to travel.

A study conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released today supports the need for rapid testing. Its research shows that rapid antigen tests are, on average, 60% cheaper than PCR tests and that the cost impact of PCR testing will reduce demand by an average of 65%.

This combination of measures would also help save millions of jobs and livelihoods which depend on the sector and accelerate the much-needed economic recovery.

WTTC has also strongly advocated the government shift its risk assessment from entire countries to that of the individual ‘high-risk’ traveller, to more quickly enable the return of safe travelling.

The crucial return of international travel would especially provide a boost to suffering SMEs, which were particularly affected as they make up 80% of all businesses in the sector, predominantly employing women, youths, and many minorities.

The social impact of the virtual collapse of the sector has been an important concern for WTTC which has sought to highlight the plight of all those affected, particularly focusing on issues of mental health and other pressing social issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

WTTC has been working with the UK government to produce a clear roadmap which the whole Travel & Tourism sector can work towards, enabling them to prepare for so they can ramp up operations and ensure they make the most of the peak summer season.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We have no doubt that the government understands the critical importance of providing a clear road map for the struggling Travel & Tourism sector to find its way back to operating fully and, essentially, profitability.

“The UK government should take advantage of its incredible vaccine rollout and enable the resumption of safe international travel through a comprehensive testing programme for non-vaccinated Brits and importantly, in time for the all-important summer season.

“We must allow the Travel & Tourism sector to take full advantage of the peak summer season to enable it to recoup as much as it can from the return of safe international travel.

“We have been encouraged that the government is at last listening to the sector and hope that the Global Travel Task Force will clearly and unambiguously lay out exactly what travel will look like in their phased rollout from 17 May.

“It’s vital that the sector, business travellers and holidaymakers all understand what will happen and when so they can clearly plan and prepare for the return of travel.

“We believe a combination of vaccines, testing, digital health passes and health and safety protocols, including mandatory face mask wearing, will unlock travel.

“Travel & Tourism is a powerhouse waiting to jumpstart the world economic recovery.”

Last week, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) revealed the full crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global Travel & Tourism sector which last year suffered a catastrophic loss of more than US$4bn.

The annual research showed the sector’s contribution to GDP dropped a staggering 49.1%, as the sector struggled to survive in the face of crippling travel restrictions and unnecessary quarantines.

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Whatever happened to the first Global Travel Taskforce?

As work begins on the revived Global Travel Taskforce, aimed at “restarting international travel in a safe and sustainable way,” many questions remain about the original project.

The co-chairs were the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, and the health secretary, Matt Hancock. They promised: “We will develop proposals at pace.”

One aspect, “Test to Release,” has been deployed in England – allowing arrivals to reduce self-isolation from 10 days to five, though with the need to arrange a total of three Covid tests.

Yet progress on other recommendations appears to have been minimal.

The first report identified the need for “a global framework for validating test results and vaccination records”. It noted: “The global harmonisation of measures will simplify travel between countries, strengthening public confidence in international travel and enable travel to be more quickly reestablished between countries.”

While the government says it is working with other countries to develop a “vaccine passport,” the 20 million-plus British adults who have had at least one vaccination have not been given documentation that is likely to support international travel.

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The taskforce proposed that “a model in which the traveller undertakes a self-isolation period before travel, followed by a test, could be adopted with partner countries”.

The aim was to re-open nations closed to UK residents due to other countries’ Covid border restrictions; to provide consumers with more choice about how they travel while still protecting public health effectively; and to create a model that could be rolled out globally.

But nothing has emerged from this proposal – nor from the ideas to offer short-stay self-isolation exemption for incoming business travellers. 

“An exemption for short-term business trips from the need to self-isolate on arrival would clearly have a major beneficial impact,” the taskforce concluded.

Neither has the concept of “tour bubbles” for inbound visitors been followed up.

Many returning British travellers over the past nine months have been forced to self-isolate because they have changed planes in locations that trigger UK quarantine – which, over time, have included Amsterdam, Dubai, Istanbul and Madrid.

While many other countries have allowed brief transit stops on journeys between low-risk nations, the UK has not.

Even an hour at an airport in a high-risk nation, where almost all contacts are with non-residents, obliged the traveller whose journey had begun in a low-risk country to self-isolate.

The taskforce vowed to “investigate measures to facilitate safe transit”.

“We will explore ways that transit could be safely facilitated, in line with public health requirements, without passengers needing to self-isolate on return to the UK,” the report said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) points out that now all arrivals to the UK are required to go into quarantine, the issue is currently irrelevant.

The original taskforce expressed serious concern about cruise holidays, saying clarity on the conditions for starting voyages was “vital”. 

Cruise firms could then “undertake effective financial forecasting for their businesses (and ensure financial viability); communicate with clarity to their crew, supporting travel supply chain and customers; secure future bookings for 2021 and beyond; and plan for operational restart”.

But the Foreign Office continues to warn against cruise travel, and the only certainty appears to be that no international leisure journeys will be permitted before 17 May.

P&O Cruises has abandoned all plans for European cruises before the autumn, and instead will deploy vessels on UK itineraries.

A DfT spokesperson said: “The government set up the Global Travel Taskforce to restart international travel in a safe way when the time is right.

“As part of that work, we will be reviewing the recommendations in the current context and remain committed to implementing those which remain relevant.”

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WTTC Submission to Global Travel Taskforce Calls on Rapid Testing

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has been at the forefront of global efforts to revive safe travel in the COVID-19 era.

• Read all the latest WTTC News and Press Releases here.

The global tourism body says while the UK’s world-leading vaccine rollout is to be applauded, the Travel & Tourism sector cannot wait for every member of the public to be vaccinated.

Instead, WTTC has urged the government’s Global Travel Taskforce to focus on a combination of vaccines, testing, digital health passes and health and safety protocols, such mandatory face mask wearing, as the way to unlocking the door to travel.

A study conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released today supports the need for rapid testing. Its research shows that rapid antigen tests are, on average, 60% cheaper than PCR tests and that the cost impact of PCR testing will reduce demand by an average of 65%.

This combination of measures would also help save millions of jobs and livelihoods which depend on the sector and accelerate the much-needed economic recovery.

WTTC has also strongly advocated the government shift its risk assessment from entire countries to that of the individual ‘high-risk’ traveller, to more quickly enable the return of safe travelling.

The crucial return of international travel would especially provide a boost to suffering SMEs, which were particularly affected as they make up 80% of all businesses in the sector, predominantly employing women, youths, and many minorities.

The social impact of the virtual collapse of the sector has been an important concern for WTTC which has sought to highlight the plight of all those affected, particularly focusing on issues of mental health and other pressing social issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

WTTC has been working with the UK government to produce a clear roadmap which the whole Travel & Tourism sector can work towards, enabling them to prepare for so they can ramp up operations and ensure they make the most of the peak summer season.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We have no doubt that the government understands the critical importance of providing a clear road map for the struggling Travel & Tourism sector to find its way back to operating fully and, essentially, profitability.

“The UK government should take advantage of its incredible vaccine rollout and enable the resumption of safe international travel through a comprehensive testing programme for non-vaccinated Brits and importantly, in time for the all-important summer season.

“We must allow the Travel & Tourism sector to take full advantage of the peak summer season to enable it to recoup as much as it can from the return of safe international travel.

“We have been encouraged that the government is at last listening to the sector and hope that the Global Travel Task Force will clearly and unambiguously lay out exactly what travel will look like in their phased rollout from 17 May.

“It’s vital that the sector, business travellers and holidaymakers all understand what will happen and when so they can clearly plan and prepare for the return of travel.

“We believe a combination of vaccines, testing, digital health passes and health and safety protocols, including mandatory face mask wearing, will unlock travel.

“Travel & Tourism is a powerhouse waiting to jumpstart the world economic recovery.”

Last week, the World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR) revealed the full crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global Travel & Tourism sector which last year suffered a catastrophic loss of more than US$4bn.

The annual research showed the sector’s contribution to GDP dropped a staggering 49.1%, as the sector struggled to survive in the face of crippling travel restrictions and unnecessary quarantines.

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Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes the Safe Return of International Travel Presented to the Prime Minister by the Secretary of State for Transport

Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes The Safe Return of International Travel Presented to the Prime Minister by the Secretary of State for Transport

April 2021 Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR

© Crown copyright 2021

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.

The National Archives at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/contact-us.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is also available on our website at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport.

Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport Contents

Annex A: Terms of reference 2

Annex B: Summary of industry and other engagement 4

Annex C: Findings from DfT testing and compliance survey 6

Annex D: Findings from DfT qualitative research 8

1 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

Annex A: Terms of reference

1. The Global Travel Taskforce: Safe Return of International Travel is the successor to the Global Travel Taskforce which made a series of recommendations in November 2020.

2. It will report by 12 April 2021 with recommendations aimed at facilitating a return to international travel as soon as possible while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants of concern. Following that, the government will determine when international travel should resume, which will be no earlier than 17 May. A decision on the reopening of international travel will need to consider:

• the global and domestic epidemiological picture • the prevalence and location of any variants of concern • the progress of vaccine rollouts here and abroad • what more we’ve learnt about the efficacy of vaccines on variants, and their impact on transmission, hospitalisation and deaths

3. This taskforce will be led by the Department for Transport (DfT) and report to the Prime Minister. Its aim – in the context of the decision above – will be to work in partnership with industry and international partners to develop a risk-based framework that could facilitate the return of international travel, while still managing the risk from imported cases and variants. That will include making use of the measures the government already has in place (such as testing and isolation) and building on the recommendations from the Global Travel Taskforce last year.

Scope and timing

4. The taskforce will:

• consider policy proposals to set out a possible pathway to safely reopen international travel, taking account of scientific and clinical data; • in partnership with industry, develop an implementation plan for the adoption of any recommendations to enable government, industry and consumers to prepare for when any decisions are taken; • consider how to implement recommendations from the previous Global Travel Taskforce, such as bubbles, to facilitate tourist and business travel; and • ensure that any shorter-term changes act as a bridge to longer-term objectives on delivering vaccine certification to facilitate travel (noting this work is being conducted in parallel) and global standardisation of border measures.

5. The taskforce will report to the Prime Minister by 12 April 2021 with an implementation plan to follow.

2 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

6. The taskforce will be a cross-government endeavour, with the Secretary of State for Transport reporting to the Prime Minister. It will involve collaboration between officials from:

• Department for Transport • Department for Health and Social Care • Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office • Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport • Public Health England • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy • HM Treasury • Home Office • Department for International Trade • Cabinet Office C-19 Taskforce

7. Officials from the Scottish and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland Executive will be closely involved in the taskforce’s work.

8. The taskforce will seek to achieve a joint approach while noting that health matters are devolved, so decision-making and implementation may differ across the nations.

9. The taskforce will also take into account evidence and data from the scientific communities and our international community.

10. In addition, it’s vital that any proposals have been developed in partnership with industry, taking account of the vast experience from outside of government.

11. The taskforce will, therefore, establish working groups to feed into its final report. Most critical will be that established with the travel industry, given the need for proposals to be workable.

12. In addition, the taskforce will consult to inform its report:

• international partners, to discuss options for bilateral pilots and the standards needed to facilitate safe international travel • the tourism sector and local business leaders, to consider how international travel can support economic recovery • academia and policy institutes to provide innovative solutions to the challenges the sector is facing

13. As with last year’s taskforce, we will work with a range of businesses covering aviation, maritime, international rail and the tourism sector to develop the roadmap.

3 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

Annex B: Summary of industry and other engagement

The Taskforce has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders covering the aviation, maritime, international rail and tourism sectors:

A C I ABTA Carnival Group Intercontinental Hotels Group Accessibility Sector CBI – Confederation of International Airlines Group Champion for Tourism British Industry International Air Transport ADS Group Civil Aviation Authority Association Advantage Travel Partnership Clear Covid Steering Group AGS Airports Collinson J Association of International Cruise Britain Jet2.com and Jet2holidays Courier and Express Cruise Lines International Services Association L Airbnb Lastminute.com Airlines UK D Loganair Airport Operators DFDS M Association Department of Health and Manchester Airports Group Associated Society of Social Care Maritime and Coastguard Locomotive Engineers and Dnata Agency Firemen Menzies Association of Independent E Tour Operators EasyJet MSC Group Airlines UK Edinburgh Airport Eurostar N NATS Holdings B Eurotunnel British Airline Pilots’ Nautilus Association F Newcastle Airport The Board of Airline Flying Disabled NHSX Representatives in the UK Fred Olsen Boeing O Office of Road and Rail Border Force G On the Beach British Airways Gatwick Airport British Ports Association General Aviation Advocate – P Brittany Ferries Phil Dunnington (appointed by SoS) P&O Ferries Business Travel Association Greater London Authority Portsmouth International Port Businesses and Business in Post Office General Aviation GMB Union Prospect H Public and Commercial Heathrow Airport Limited Services Union

4 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

R T V RABA – Regional and Tripadvisor Viking Cruises Business Airports Group Trades Union Congress Virgin RMT – National Union of Rail, Transport Salaried Staffs Virgin Atlantic Maritime and Transport Association VisitBritain Workers TUI Group Rolls Royce W Royal Caribbean U Which? UK Chamber of Shipping Wizz Air S UKHospitality World Travel and Tourism Saga UKInbound Council School Travel Forum UK Major Ports Group Worldwide Flight Services SITA Unison Skyscanner Unite the Union Stena University of Manchester Swissport

List of Workshops

Date Workshop Discussion 08/03/2021 Vaccine Certification Industry experience Technology requirements GDPR Enforcement at the border 11/03/2021 Consumer Confidence Clarity of communication. Flexibility with change and ensuring inclusiveness Consumer’s trust and skills retention 15/03/2021 Evidence and Modelling Policy testing Consumer confidence Economic Impacts 16/03/2021 Operations at the Border: Aviation and Eurostar Ports and Carriers Maritime and Eurotunnel 16/03/2021 Operations at the Border: Health measures programme team Border Force Officials National Ops team/National Command Centre Europe & International UK Regional teams Intelligence Ops Policy and Guidance Home Office Border Policy and Strategy Crime, Policing and Fire Group 18/03/2021 Engagement with Trade Employee Safety Union Representatives Importance of clear communication Employee leave for vaccinations Workplace testing Vaccinations requirements at work

5 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

Annex C: Findings from DfT testing and compliance survey

1. DfT commissioned Ipsos Mori to conduct research to understand public attitudes to travelling abroad for leisure in the summer (June-September 2021), including comfort with travelling abroad, intention to travel given different measures and general sentiment on concerns with travelling abroad.

Some people intend to travel this summer

2. 37% of UK adults surveyed feel comfortable going a leisure trip abroad between June ‑September 2021 (56% feel uncomfortable) n=2,234.

3. 51% of those surveyed who travelled abroad for leisure in 2019 feel comfortable going on a leisure trip abroad between June-September 2021 (46% feel uncomfortable) n=1,200.

4. 38% of UK adults surveyed say they would be likely to travel abroad for leisure this summer if there no travel restrictions either in the UK or abroad (58% unlikely to) n=2,234.

5. Intention to travel is also higher amongst those who travelled abroad for leisure in 2019. 54% of 2019 international leisure travellers surveyed say they would be likely to travel if there were no restrictions in either the UK or abroad (43% unlikely to) n=1,200.

Testing is more appealing than quarantine for leisure

6. 30% of UK adults surveyed say they would be likely to travel abroad if they needed a negative pre-departure test and a test on day 2 of arrival to the UK but didn’t need to quarantine (66% unlikely to) n=2,234.

7. 20% of UK adults surveyed say they would be likely to travel abroad if they had to quarantine in their own home for 10 days on arrival to the UK (76% unlikely to) n=2,234.

8. 42% of 2019 international leisure travellers surveyed say they would be likely to travel if they needed a negative pre-departure test and a test on day 2 of arrival to the UK but didn’t need to quarantine (55% unlikely to) n=1,200.

9. 28% of 2019 international leisure travellers surveyed say they would be likely to travel abroad if they had to quarantine in their own home for 10 days on arrival to the UK (69% unlikely to) n=1,200.

6 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

People have concerns about travelling abroad

10. 79% of UK adults surveyed agree that everyone travelling abroad should be tested to ensure that they are not bringing Coronavirus back into the UK (7% disagree) 68% of UK adults agree that they will only book travel abroad if they have refund or cancellation flexibility (10% disagree).

11. 68% of UK adults surveyed agree that they will only travel abroad when they feel totally confident that the restrictions won’t change (9% disagree) n=2,234.

12. 65% of UK adults surveyed agree that they will hold off travelling abroad until they have been fully vaccinated (12% disagree) n=2,234.

Methodology

13. This 7-minute survey ran online between 18 – 22 March 2021. It was conducted by Ipsos Mori using their online panel. Quotas set to secure a nationally representative sample of 2,234 UK adults aged 16–75. Data has been weighted to the known UK population profile and is representative of all UK adults 16–75.

7 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

Annex D: Findings from DfT qualitative research

1. DfT commissioned Britain Thinks to carry out focus groups with air and sea passengers who had travelled by these modes in 2019, to understand their views on vaccination and travel abroad, their general confidence to travel abroad in the future as well as any mitigation measures that could be put in place to give them greater confidence.

Vaccines are not enough to reassure people to travel abroad

2. Participants expected some uncertainty and other travel measures to remain in place during the vaccine rollout to provide further reassurance to passengers.

3. Most participants welcomed being vaccinated themselves, but it would not instantly make them more confident to travel as it was still important for the pandemic to be ‘under control’ before they would resume travel.

4. Participants reflected on different factors that would impact their likelihood to travel abroad, such as seeing a general reduction in the severity of the pandemic, measured by deaths, hospitalisations, new cases and the emergence of new variants. Other measures such social distancing and hygiene measures were also important to continue with.

Passengers want to see pre-boarding and testing measures in place

5. Aviation participants would feel more confident to travel if there were pre-boarding temperature checks, limiting capacity on flights and mandatory testing prior to departure.

6. While for maritime participants, a popular suggestion to make them feel more comfortable would be to be able to remain in their vehicle, as well as guaranteed access to outside space and pre-travel testing for longer/international journeys.

8 Report of the Global Travel Taskforce Annexes – The Safe Return of International Travel

7. The fieldwork was conducted between 20 – 25 January, when the UK was in national lockdown and daily death tolls in the UK were high. The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out was well underway, with almost 5 million people having received their first dose by the 20 January 2021. It is also important to note that these focus groups are qualitative therefore not designed to be representative of all aviation and maritime passengers. However, it does provide more detailed insights on travel perceptions and behaviours.

8. The focus groups consisted of:

Mode Type of traveller Aviation Long-haul travellers, premium – leisure or business, aged 30–70 Aviation Short-haul travellers, budget airlines – leisure, aged 18–60 Aviation Business travellers, aged 30–70 Aviation Leisure travellers, aged 25–70 Ferry Travellers carrying out short crossings Ferry Travellers carrying out international ferry trips Ferry Travellers carrying out domestic or international ferry trips Cruise Cruise-travellers from UK ports, aged 40+

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is a 72-year-old river blindness patient in Cameroon’s Bafang district who has benefitted from The Task Force’s Mectizan® Donation Program (MDP) since 2004. She says the treatment has helped save her eyesight and she’s now able to look after her grandchildren. An estimated 205 million people, mostly in Africa, are at risk for river blindness. The disease is categorized as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) because the people it affects are among the most marginalized in society. 

Ngo Yeba Anastasie, Participant,  is a 72-year-old river blindness patient in Cameroon’s Bafang district who has benefitted from The Task Force’s Mectizan® Donation Program (MDP) since 2004. She says the treatment has helped save her eyesight and she’s now able to look after her grandchildren. An estimated 205 million people, mostly in Africa, are at risk for river blindness. 

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NO MORE: There’s now a global travel industry taskforce to combat human trafficking. So how can you help?

Did you know that the world travel & tourism council (wttc) has just formed a global taskforce to fight against human trafficking.

It’s now calling on all major travel industry giants to help them combat this issue once and for all.

“The worlds most powerful travel leaders are wholly committed to preventing human trafficking, protecting victims, supporting survivors & engaging with governments so that this pandemic ends once and for all.” WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara

What’s the issue?

It’s a devastating reality that human trafficking has become a $150 billion dollar industry affecting 40 million victims worldwide and is a primary contributor to modern slavery.

The sad truth is that an estimated one-quarter of trafficking victims worldwide are children whilst another fifth of victims is used for sexual purposes.

To put that into figures that you can digest a bit more vividly, that’s 10 million children and 8 million victims of sex slavery, suffering at the hands of human trafficking.

It’s an industry that relies heavily on travel networks in order to operate and exist, and it’s causing WTTC and some of the biggest names in the travel industry to take a stand and say ‘no more’.

Which is why now, for the first time in travel industry history, WTTC has formed a global taskforce to prevent and combat human trafficking once and for all.

What’s the solution?

The founding members of the task force include Airbnb, Amex GBT, The Bicester Village Shopping Collection, CTrip.com International, CWT, Emirates, Expedia Group, Hilton, JTB Corp, Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority, Marriot International, Silversea, Thomas Cook & TUI.

Together with WTTC, the task force is aiming to eradicate human trafficking by focusing on 4 key pillars:

PREVENTION | To increase industry & consumer awareness of human trafficking – it is proven that the more we know, the more we can prevent.

PROTECTION | To train employees and travellers on how to identify and report suspected cases.

ACTION | To encourage governments to enact legislation which recognises human trafficking as a crime throughout the entire chain and develop resources and support needed such as national hotlines.

SUPPORT | To provide assistance, employability training & employment opportunities to survivors.

What will the positive impact be?

By increasing industry & consumer awareness within the travel industry, the task force will be able to spread awareness of not only the dangers but the possible signs of human trafficking in real time, leading to more general public and employee awareness.

The intention is to catch human trafficking in the act and enable safer travelling for all.

But that’s not all this amazing team are planning to do. They’ll also be providing assistance, employment opportunities and training to survivors of human trafficking to help them reintegrate into society.

Gloria Guevara, CEO of TWWC, said that it is their intention to do “everything in (their) power to help eradicate the problem so that people may move safely and freely across the globe, but never coerced.”

Find out more: www.wttc.org

Also, head over to www.thefreedomproject.org / www.stopthetraffik.org or www.projectkarma.org.au for more information.

How can you travel to change the world?

Congratulations!  By reading this post and taking some of these insights on board, you’ve already made a difference.

Now you can easily create your impact by sharing your new-found knowledge with other friends who you think would also be interested.

Ultimately, responsible travel comes down to common sense – stay curious, keep yourself up-to-date with the challenges at hand and make yourself accountable for your actions on your travels.

Share the love

Related stories, travel to change the world.

Global Travel Marketplace: A Win-Win Event for Advisors and Suppliers

T he 2024 Global Travel Marketplace   (GTM), which took place Thursday, July 18 through Saturday, July 20 at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, has been helping the travel industry grow millions of dollars now for over a decade.

This year’s event saw record attendance, with 171 hosted travel advisors meeting and networking with 188 different travel suppliers. Over 900 travel advisor applications were submitted.

To be here, travel advisors must meet specific criteria, including having annual individual sales of at least $1 million or owning a multi-million-dollar agency. This is one of the reasons this event continues to see success in its 12th year, said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Executive Vice President of Travel Group Global Events at Northstar Travel Group. (Editor’s note: Northstar is the parent company of TravelPulse.)

“The advisors here represent hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide sales annually,” said Evanko-Lewis. “When you take into account their sphere of influence beyond this room with other agencies and advisors – the potential is endless.”

The travel advisor and supplier attendees say it’s a win-win for all.

Making Connections, Growing Businesses

One-on-one appointments between travel advisors and suppliers are a staple of many travel industry events.

A major difference between GTM and other events is that travel advisors have their own tables, with the suppliers moving around from appointment to appointment. Advisors decorate their tables with their personal flair, which allows them to showcase their personalities and helps the suppliers learn a little bit more about the advisors. 

These six-minute one-on-one meetings are all about connecting with a common goal of building a relationship to ultimately grow business together.

Fostering that advisor-supplier relationship growth is key to the entire travel industry thriving.

“It’s great for opening the line of communication with me and the suppliers,” said

Courtney Jackson, Lifestyle Travel Advisor with Wishful Escapes. “It’s a great introduction to my business and what they can offer, so that once we leave here, we can continue the conversation about how we can partner together. I’ve had a great time meeting with suppliers that I have never worked with before and learning what they can offer myself and my clients.”

Shelia Folk, CEO and founder of Travel Industry Solutions, attended her first GTM event this year and said she was blown away by all the “incredible talent” in the room.

“This is the most amazing event,” Folk said. “I could not have asked for a better show. The biggest thing about this show is the incredible number of professional, committed advisors in one room. It is so refreshing to see so many advisors who are uber committed to their business and the level of success that they've achieved, the vision that they have in moving their agency forward. The size of the agencies, that’s really shocking to me with the number of agency owners here who have 20, 50, 100 advisors working under them. And then the solo advisors who have big plans to grow their agency and you can see it. They have it. ”

Future Leaders Rising  

This year’s event also had 11 alumni from the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat , another Northstar Travel Group event that takes travel advisors aged 22-40 and helps them grow their businesses with supplier meetings and professional development workshops.

Ashely Taylor, Senior Travel Advisor with Key to the World Travel, credits the Future Leaders event for helping her earn a spot to attend GTM.

“They teach you how to sell and grow your business,” said Taylor. “Future Leaders was amazing and helped me grow my business [to get here].”

For Carly Heyward, owner of Flight of the Educator, hitting the $1 million sales mark to qualify for GTM was a goal she set following the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat.

“Future Leaders helped me double my business,” Heyward said. “For me, I feel like Future Leaders was more helpful in learning best practices, learning how to be better at social media and finding new clients. And then now at GTM, I feel like this is more helpful for me knowing what to offer and who to go to for the best resources, stuff like that.

Learning From Each Other

In addition to hearing from suppliers in the one-on-one meetings, advisors attend supplier sponsored boardroom sessions each day.

Suppliers buy in to host these boardroom presentations, during which they’ll have 30 minutes to discuss their brand, further engage with the advisors, and help educate them on all they have to offer.

“Sponsoring a boardroom, that is always a must,” said Andy Fuentes, Regional Sales Director at Atlas Ocean Voyages, who is attending his fourth. GTM. “I always recommend other suppliers to do as such, because you have that one-on-one time with them. [Advisors] are here to learn."

Fuentes discussed how the six-minute appointments are great, but the boardroom has really helped him gain more leads for growing business.

“You want to present the product in front of them and the boardrooms make that happen, you have that connection,” Fuentes said. “I’ve had a lot of leads and a lot of connections made at GTM. I’ve had a lot of folks begin to start selling expedition because of the boardroom presentation at GTM.”

Advisors learn a great deal about new things from so many suppliers while attending GTM, however, they also learn from each other on how to be better in their jobs and life.

“Making those connections, meeting other advisors, it’s always a huge thing for me,” Taylor said. “The boardroom has been great. It’s much easier to have a conversation and see how they run their businesses.”

Community over competition is an often-heard phrase from travel advisors helping other travel advisors, and that is showcased all over GTM.

“This morning someone mentioned needing help with Antarctica, which is my big niche,” Heyward said. “I slid her my business card and said, ‘Hey girl, message me.’ It doesn’t need to be a commission split; I just love talking about it. She specializes in Disney, and that is my big weakness, so now I’m going to talk to her about Disney. So, by helping each other, there’s enough business for everybody, and we can all grow.

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Ukraine-Russia war - latest updates

Follow our Ukraine war blog for all the latest developments, reaction and analysis. Got a question on the conflict or its wider implications? Submit it below and our experts will answer a selection.

Monday 22 July 2024 13:17, UK

• Everything you need to know as war enters new week
• Your questions answered: Could internal dissent lead to Putin's removal from power? | Has the West been honest about Ukraine's failures?

Ask a question or make a comment

It's been another big week in the conflict, with world leaders met for a NATO summit and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to the UK to attend a European Political Community meeting. 

We haven't been able to bring you live coverage today, but here's an overview of where the war stands at the moment to kick off the new week... 

Secret labs across Ukraine building 'robot army' to fight Russia

Ukraine is hoping to assemble swathes of cheap, unmanned drones that it hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians.

An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops across Ukraine are building this robot army at a fraction of the cost it takes to import similar models.

Estimates believe around 250 defence startups across the country are creating the killing machines at secret locations that typically look like rural car repair shops.

Costing around $35,000 (£27,000) to build, employees at startups like those run by entrepreneur Andrii Denysenko can put together an unmanned ground vehicle called the Odyssey in four days from a shed.

The 800kg Odyssey prototype can travel up to 18.5 miles (30km) on one charge of a battery the size of a small beer cooler.

It acts as a rescue and supply drone but can be modified to carry a remotely operated heavy machine gun or sling mine-clearing charges.

Russia and China conclude naval drills

Russian and Chinese ships used joint naval exercises in the South China Sea last week to successfully rehearse several combat drills, Russian state media reports. 

Russia's Pacific Fleet was cited as saying that the two navies had carried out about 30 combat exercises, including joint artillery firing at sea, coastal and air targets, and joint search and rescue operations at sea.

The drills, dubbed "Maritime Cooperation 2024", have now concluded. 

China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

Russia's Kharkiv advance halted, Zelenskyy says

While speaking at the European Political Community summit, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had halted Moscow's forces completely in Kharkiv. 

The Ukrainian president made the comment while trying to convince leaders to help with Kyiv's air defence capability.

"We have stopped the Russian advance on Kharkiv - period," he said.

"Putin has sacrificed tens of thousands of his citizens but has achieved nothing significant," he added.

Russia launched a surprise attack on Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region in May, opening up another front for Ukraine to defend.

Trump and Zelenskyy have 'very good phone call'

On Friday, Donald Trump and Mr Zelenskyy had a "very good phone call", according to the former US president, after he promised to end Russia's war with Ukraine if he was re-elected.

Mr Zelenskyy "congratulated me on a very successful Republican National Convention and becoming the Republican nominee for President of the United States", he said in a post on the social media app Truth Social.

The pair agreed to "discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting", according to Mr Zelenskyy in a post on X.

That's all for our live updates on the war in Ukraine for today. 

We'll be back tomorrow with all the latest. 

In the meantime, here's a reminder of today's key events: 

• Ukraine said Russia was "testing new tactics" after it launched its fifth drone attack on Kyiv in two weeks;
• Russian fighter jets stopped two US strategic bombers from violating the country's airspace, Moscow's defence ministry said;
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated calls for countries to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons after Russia's overnight drone and missile attack;
• Russian state media reported Moscow's troops had captured two settlements in Ukraine - Rozivka, in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, and Pishchane Nizhne in the northeastern Kharkiv region;
• Russian forces launched a "double tap" attack on first responders in Sumy, the Ukrainian state emergency service said;
• Mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko warned the Ukrainian president faces "a very difficult" time in the coming months. 

Ukraine is developing AI systems to help fly a vast fleet of drones. 

A number of startups in the country are working to roll out AI-enabled drones across the front line in the hope of overcoming Russia's unmanned aerial vehicle power. 

Swarmer is developing software that links drones in a network, allowing decisions to be implemented instantly across the group. 

"For a swarm of 10 or 20 drones or robots, it's virtually impossible for humans to manage them," Swarmer chief executive Serhiy Kupriienko told Reuters. 

The company is one of more than 200 tech firms that have sprung up since the war started. 

Mr Kupriienko said that while human pilots struggle to run operations involving more than five drones, AI will be able to process hundreds.

The system, called Styx, directs a web of reconnaissance and strike drones, both large and small, in the air and on the ground. 

Every drone would be able to plan its own moves and predict the behaviour of the others in the swarm, he explained. 

Swarmer's technology is still under development and has only been trialled on the battlefield experimentally, he added. 

Two Ukrainian photojournalists have been injured after coming under Russian fire. 

Olga Kovalyova and Vladyslav Krasnoshchok had been documenting the situation in Donetsk from a trench near the front line when they came under attack. 

Ms Kovalyova, who works for the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), was evacuated and hospitalised after being hit by shrapnel, the organisation said. 

"I was saved by a bulletproof vest and a helmet. The shrapnel got to a place where there was no protection," Ms Kovalyova said, according to UAPP's statement. 

"It's a pity that it happened on the first day of the business trip."

Mr Krasnoshchok suffered a concussion but did not require hospital treatment, it added. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will face a "very difficult" time over the coming months, the mayor of Kyiv has warned. 

Speaking to Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, Vitaliy Klitschko said the Ukrainian president will have to make hard decisions that could lead to "political suicide". 

He warned that Mr Zelenskyy may have to launch a referendum in Ukraine if a territorial compromise with Russia is put on the table. 

"The coming months will be very difficult for Volodymyr Zelenskyy," he said. 

"Will he have to continue the war with new deaths and destruction, or consider the possibility of a territorial compromise with Putin?" 

"Whatever move he makes, our president risks political suicide. Let's be honest, we have to win the war, but the situation is getting more and more difficult. It depends on the help that comes from the allies. It would be a nightmare if we had to fight for two more years." 

More than 270 Ukrainian Telegram channels have been hacked today, news outlets in the country have reported. 

Hackers sent a message to Ukrainians telling them to "lay down their arms", according to Suspilne. 

Messages also appeared accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of starting the war, it said. 

In a Facebook post, Ukraine's state security service said the cyberattack was carried out by the Russian FleepBot service. 

"On July 21, mass publication of messages of a provocative nature was recorded in a number of well-known Ukrainian Telegram channels that used the FleepBot software to post news," it wrote. 

"We would like to once again emphasize the danger of using any software of the aggressor country."

FleepBot is a Telegram tool that allows users to schedule posts to go out automatically. 

Russian forces have launched a "double tap" attack on first responders in Sumy, the Ukrainian state emergency service has said.

Emergency workers had been dealing with the aftermath of an overnight missile attack on the northeastern city when they came under fire. 

They were extinguishing one of five fires at a residential building at the time, the service said. 

No casualties have been reported. 

The "double tap" tactic, which has been used by Russia throughout the war, sees an area come under a second attack shortly after an initial strike. 

In several cases, the second attack has come while rescuers are trying to help those who have been injured. 

In March, more than 20 people were killed in the southern city of Odesa in a "double tap" attack. 

At the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as a "despicable act of cowardice". 

By Lara Keay , news reporter

The establishment of the "axis powers" in the 1930s paved the way for the Second World War.

Agreements signed between Germany, Italy, and Japan in 1936 united them in their expansionist interests and hatred of Western allies.

Amid Russia's war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and China's repeated threats of invading Taiwan, some security and military analysts say we are on a similar path again and that Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are the "new axis powers".

The last time a similar term was used was in 2002 by former US President George W Bush, describing Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, as an "axis of evil" in the wake of 9/11.

Ahead of a new UK defence review, former defence secretary and NATO leader Lord Robertson described Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as a "deadly quartet".

There have also been warnings more than one of them risks triggering a third world war within the next five years.

Here Sky News looks at the risk they pose and how it could affect life in the UK...

People living in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region have been left without water, a Ukrainian organisation has said. 

The region was illegally annexed by Russia in 2022, but is not fully controlled by Moscow. 

When Russian troops occupied the area, they attempted to build a pipeline to pump water from the River Don to the region. 

But the Ukrainian Centre of National Resistance has said the pipeline has stopped working due to a power outage. 

It claimed there had been ongoing issues with the system due to fighting in the region, but repairs have taken months and the situation has "worsened". 

"Due to the power outage in Russia, the pumping stations of the newly built canal have failed, and the water supply has stopped completely," it said. 

Russian troops have captured two settlements in Ukraine, state media has reported. 

The village of Rozivka, in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, and Pishchane Nizhne in the northeastern Kharkiv region have both been taken, according to the reports. 

TASS news agency said both villages were captured in one day. 

It quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying: "As a result of successful actions, units of the West group of troops liberated the settlements of Rozivka in the Luhansk People's Republic and Pishchane Nizhne in the Kharkiv region, and also occupied more advantageous lines and positions." 

Russia illegally annexed Luhansk and three other regions (Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia) in 2022. 

The international community still recognises the areas as part of Ukraine. 

Kharkiv has been one of Russia's targets since the early days of the war, but the region became more of a focal point in May when Moscow's forces launched a cross-border incursion. 

Ukrainian officials have previously said the incursion had been contained, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the Kharkiv advance had been "halted" in an address to world leaders earlier this week. 

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