The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has established a task force on tourism and security with the aim of drawing up guidelines for destinations and source markets.
The UNWTO task force, which held its first meeting on Wednesday, will be coordinated by Martin Brackenbury, former head of the UK Federation of Tour Operators – now part of the Abta travel association.
It will consider the integration of tourism into the security apparatus of member states and look at travel advisories and how they are crafted, at crisis management, at visa facilitation and training in crisis communications, crisis management and preparedness.
The task force will also consider coordination between the public and private sectors.
A series of sub-groups will seek to develop guidelines to present to the UNWTO General Assembly in China in September.
UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai told the opening meeting: “The short-term damage to destinations [from terrorism] can be serious.
“Tourism is sensitive to perception. Terrorists want us to stop travelling. We need to make sure we do not facilitate their agenda.”
Rifai said: “We can’t avoid terrorism. We are in the forefront. Airports, hotels, beaches, museums are targeted because these dark forces know exactly where it hurts. They seek to damage us economically and politically.”
As part of the initiative, the UNWTO will launch online security training courses for tourism, hospitality and attractions staff from September.
The initiative, christened the Tourism Training Academy, has been developed for staff not directly involved in security and aims to train one million industry workers within 12 months.
The training has been developed by risk management company AON and the Catalyst Group consultancy.
Courses will be available using “the latest technology” including virtual reality, but at minimal cost.
World Travel & Tourism Council president and chief executive David Scowsill said: “At the macro level terrorism has very little impact on tourism growth. But the effect can be catastrophic on individual countries.
“The rhetoric from the US administration is that it will prioritise security above all else and we heard something similar from David Cameron at the WTTC Global Summit in April. He told us we are always outbid by considerations of security.”
Scowsill suggested: “We have a big communications job to do.”