The shocking killing of George Floyd has rightly drawn attention to the pandemic of racism, says editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley
A semblance of normality is returning to the world as the lockdown eases and retail outlets prepare to reopen next week.
Sadly, the sense of a return to a pre-Covid reality has been heightened by the worldwide protests at the shocking killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The outrage triggered has rightly drawn attention to a different kind of pandemic, of racism, that must be addressed.
We report this week on agents who are urging travel and tourism to do more to support and attract people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. These calls should be embraced wholeheartedly by an industry that prides itself on its inclusivity, on welcoming people from diverse backgrounds, and connecting and uniting people.
Travel Weekly’s homepage has been dominated by protests of a different kind as industry figures from frontline agents to chief executives united in dismay at the government’s implementation of quarantine restrictions on Monday.
The good news is that the government appears poised to open ‘travel corridors’ to destinations around Europe from its first review of quarantine measures on June 29. However, at the time of writing, confirmation has been confined to “private assurances from senior government sources”.
The industry needs and deserves more. The government should provide clarity on the process and timing of opening these corridors, and should do so without delay. Then the industry can start a return to something akin to normality and doing what it does best – looking after its customers.
Comment from Travel Weekly, June 11 edition
