The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced that more than 275 destinations around the world have received its coveted Safe Travels stamp since the world's first-ever global safety and hygiene label was introduced just one year ago in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic .
On Friday, WTTC revealed that Thailand, Barbados, Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan are among the latest to receive the WTTC's Safe Travels stamp, which takes into account health and safety guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We are delighted that our Safe Travels stamp continues to grow from strength to strength and has been adopted by destinations from all corners of the world. From Portugal to Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka to Slovenia, Tunisia to Tobago, our stamp is now recognized around the globe, which is testimony to the hard work which has been put in to make the stamp work for both destinations and holidaymakers," WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said in a statement. "As the global vaccine rollout picks up pace around the world and with travel restrictions beginning to be relaxed, we believe the stamp will prove a key component of destination recovery and restoring consumer confidence."
"The success of the stamp shows the importance of global coordination to help rebuild and revive the international Travel & Tourism sector which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic," she added. "However, we are finally beginning to step into the new normal of a post-COVID world, and we are proud to be leading the way for globally coordinated efforts in recovery."
Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that "the Safe Travels stamp has reaffirmed the Amazing Thailand SHA and serves to further motivate travel-related enterprises in Thailand to maintain their health and safety standards, as the country rebuilds traveler confidence while also protecting the Thai workforce that serves them."
Thailand recently approved a four-stage plan to restart tourism in the popular Asian destination.
