Tourism can kickstart economic recovery, with the right policy support, ILO Director-General tells G20 Ministers

 ILO

Oct 7 2020

Tourism can play a critical role in kickstarting the global economy, but special measures to support vulnerable worker groups will be essential, along with social dialogue and effective cross-sectoral policies.

First, as the International Union of Foodworkers emphasizes, we need special measures to support women, young people, and migrant workers. They are the backbone of the tourism workforce worldwide - but they are also vulnerable. Ensuring that they have access to health and social protection is key, and some G20 countries have already taken very important measures to extend health services to migrant workers during this pandemic. 

Secondly, one reason the tourism industry is so valuable as an economic catalyst is its diversity. But this can also mean that failure in one sub-sector can affect an entire value chain, from civil aviation to accommodation and food services. So we need measures that create bridges between sectors and countries, backed by strong and unprecedented policy co-ordination at the international level. 

And that is why I welcome the “100 Million Jobs Recovery Plan” put forward by the World Travel and Tourism Council. It represents the kind of concrete multilateral action, uniting public and private sectors, that the world urgently needs. 

And this brings me to my final point. As the United Nations report on COVID-19 and the tourism sector in August also highlighted, we need social dialogue involving government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, to create the effective policies and build the trust we are going to need for a safe and inclusive recovery. 

In full: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/how-the-ilo-works/ilo-director-general/statements-and-speeches/WCMS_757374/lang--en/index.htm