The state of Jalisco received the secure travel stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which is issued to guarantee tourists a safe stay despite the Covid-19 pandemic and to revive the entity’s economy.
According to the international tourism organization, Jalisco meets all world-class hygiene and sanitation standards at its facilities.
“At the WTTC we are pleased to grant the seal to the state of Jalisco, since the restoration of safe travel and tourism is a priority at this time, due to its important contribution as an engine of the economy,” said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the WTTC.
“With technical support, with the endorsement and validation of the health sector, they allow us to take a first step to start the gradual reactivation of the economy in places like Puerto Vallarta,” said Enrique Alfaro, Governor of Jalisco.
Jalisco receives 31 million visitors per year and has characteristics that strengthen leisure tourism, business, and meetings. It has destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, Tequila, or the Los Altos area.
“We do our best; because the Covid-19 pandemic represented huge losses and the cancellation of 100 million jobs in the sector globally, a figure that can grow to 197 million in a short time if it does not work in a coordinated way to boost tourism, which in 2019 it contributed 10.3 percent of global GDP, “said the WTTC in a statement.
The secure travel stamp has the backing of the World Tourism Organization and more than 200 CEOs of the main business groups in the sector around the world, and is delivered to destinations that fully comply with the cleaning protocols issued by the WTTC, based on the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC).
The secure travel stamp has faced some skepticism, and more so with designations in Mexico, a country in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, yet holds six out of the seventeen stamps issued to destinations around the world. The President of the organization is Mexico’s former Secretary of Tourism for Mexico in 2010. There are currently no members with a medical background who would be qualified to assess destinations and their safety against COVID-19. All members of the organization are owners and CEO’s of industries dependent on tourism.
The current eligibility is a simple statement from a city or state Secretary of Tourism supporting the ‘Secure Travel Stamp’ initiative, there is no follow up to ensure the destination is following any guidelines for the safety of the travelers. No destination needs to provide evidence that protocols are being followed, so travelers should not consider a destination with the ‘Secure Travel Stamp’ to be any safer than other destinations.
