In Canary Islands, global tourism leaders from more than 95 countries and 100 tourism companies commit to recovery of international tourism

At the event, which was attended by global tourism leaders from more than 95 countries and 100 multinationals, a commitment was made to adopt the measures necessary to recover international tourism in the wake of COVID-19.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, inaugurated the conference and said that its results will benefit millions of families and companies throughout the world. "The priority is to facilitate the return of safe international travel to which end we must harness new tools available such as diagnostic tests which are more widely available and reliable so that international travel guarantees safety".

He also pointed out that we must convert the crisis into an opportunity to modernise the international tourism sector, making it more inclusive, accessible, sustainable and with a better distribution of wealth. To end, he recalled that the future without COVID-19 is ever closer, but until such time, we must mitigate the effects of this crisis on the tourism sector.

The Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, was commissioned with closing off the conference and highlighted that it is "essential to have a coordinated international response that leads to the return of safe and viable international travel, as this is what will allow the travel and tourism sector to recover more quickly".

During her speech, Reyes Maroto stressed that the conference is of tremendous importance as it is the first time that the public and private sectors have committed to work together to recover global tourism. She then went on to recall that Spain has had a pioneering role in approving travel corridors to facilitate international travel and has established mandatory diagnostic tests prior to travelling as an alternative to quarantines and travel restrictions to guarantee the return of safe international travel.

Lastly, the minister stressed that the tourism sector is a priority for the government and that it will allocate more than 3.4 billion euros over the next three years to transform and boost it.

For her part, the President of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Gloria Guevara, welcomed the fact that the WTTC was able to participate in the organisation of this unprecedented event, in which the greatest challenge is international collaboration. She recognised and congratulated the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, for their leadership and commitment to coordinate the work of leaders from both the public and private sectors. "This is an historical and fundamental meeting for reactivating international travel through close collaboration that allows the necessary measures to be implemented to recover millions of jobs around the world". She stated that the acceptance and roll-out of an international protocol of rapid tests prior to departure is fundamental for the travel and tourism sector, to which end the La Palma Declaration will help in firming this up along with the WTTC proposals presented to the G-20.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed that "the return of tourism cannot wait; millions of people depend on our sector for their livelihood, including vulnerable groups. This return must be tied into sustainability and innovation to grow better and be beneficial beyond just the tourism sector". He added that "international collaboration and coordination are key elements to this end and congratulated the Government of Spain on its support for the tourism sector, and thanked the UNWTO for its coordination work as part of the United Nations in achieving this shared goal".

La Palma Declaration

As a result of these debates, the La Palma Declaration was signed, which contains various recommendations, the adoption of international protocols for COVID-19 tests prior to departure and the acceptance of the results on arrival at the destination, as some countries and regions have already implemented, such as Spain and the Canary Islands. The establishment of health control measures of this nature will allow for quarantine periods to be shortened on the return to the country of origin, and in some cases to be completely eliminated.

The document proposes the establishment of international agreements to implement travel corridors that will facilitate tourist and business travel between counties and cities with a similar epidemiological situation. Additionally, companies are invited to propose new options to adapt and facilitate travel against the backdrop of the pandemic. These options include offering flexibility for reservations, payment terms and changes in the event of testing positive for COVID-19, and offering affordable and added value products to incentivise national and international travel.

Lastly, the Declaration urges all parties to adjust their business models to the new global situation and to work together to develop new products that promote travel and national and international tourism. It also recommends the implementation of training programmes to improve and train tourism workers and SMEs, providing them with the essential digital skills to adapt to the "new normal". Finally, it promotes more inclusive and sustainable industry which reinforces sustainability practices in tourism.

This event came about as a result of the request made by the WTTC to the leaders of the G-7+ Spain, South Korea and Australia, calling for a high-level agreement to save the sector and the millions of jobs that depend on it. Accordingly, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated his commitment to the sector and confirmed Spain's leadership by organising a meeting at which fundamental measures to reactivate international tourism would be discussed. The meeting also provides continuity as a follow-on to the recent historic meeting of the Summit of G-20 Tourism Ministers, to which, at the behest of the host country - Saudi Arabia - some 45 CEOs and members of the WTTC were invited.

During the conference, two round-tables were held that analysed the future of the tourism sector. The first round-table included the participation of the State Secretary for Tourism of Portugal, Rita Marques; the British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Nigel Huddleston; the CEO of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac; the CEO of Iberia, Javier Sánchez-Prieto; and the Executive Chairman of TUI, Friedrich Joussen.

The second round-table, held by video-conference, was attended by the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism of Kenya, Najib Balala; the founder of Certares, Greg O'Hara; the Minister for Tourism of Argentina, Matías Lammens; the Vice-President of Expedia, Jean-Philippe Monod; and the Chairman of the Radisson Hotels Group, Federico González.

The event also included the presence of the President of the Regional Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, the Regional Councillor for Tourism of the Canary Islands, Yaiza Castilla, and the President of the Island Council of La Palma, Mariano Hernández.

Non official translation