The Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) has announced its COVID Clean Practicing Business Program has been recognised through the World Travel & Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ stamp initiative.
Approximately 2,200 tourism businesses Australia-wide have directly engaged with ATIC’s national program since the COVID pandemic took hold.
Developed through ATIC’s Quality Tourism Framework, almost 1,000 businesses are now recognised as COVID Clean under the program.
ATIC general manager Erin McLeod said the COVID Clean Program highlighted to travellers and stakeholders how so many tourism operators were now taking the right COVID-safe steps.
“The tourism industry is showing the resilience and capacity to lead the way and embrace health and safety requirements necessary to provide consumer confidence to travel,” she said.
“The strong response and participation by industry in the COVID Clean Program is testimony to its practicality and attractiveness for tourism businesses wanting to show COVID-clean operations.
“As domestic borders re-open, confidence to visit interstate destinations is aided by local tourism product’s ability to present how traveller’s health and safety is a top and critical priority.”
ATIC executive director Simon Westaway said the WTTC Safe Travels stamp was recognition that ATIC’s COVID Clean Program reflected an important need within the international visitor market.
“The carried global stamp can underpin confidence for returning travellers – that includes interstate holiday activity before our international border tries to reopen,” he said.
“By global standards, Australia is an emerging COVID-clean destination, but industry believes we must powerfully signal that ‘Safe Travels’ be effectively messaged to returning overseas markets.
“This includes travel wholesalers selling Australia and those seeking safe travels down under.”
The WTTC ‘Safe Travels’ stamp is provided upon completion of ATIC’s COVID Clean module.
Featured image source: iStock/Julia_Sudnitskaya
