Informal meeting on the tourism and hospitality sector to review the impact on the sector of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and subsequent developments, Geneva, 25-26 October 2001
Recommendations by the social partners for measures to be taken by governments, the ILO and the social partners in response to the crisis following the events of September 11, 2001.
For government action
1. Recognize to a still greater degree the critical role that tourism and the hospitality industry plays in the economy and afford it an appropriate place in national strategic economic planning
2. Organize widely supported campaigns and projects to promote tourism in general. To develop additional tourism strategies, including strategies relating to domestic and intra-regional tourism, to moderate the negative effects of the cyclical nature of tourism in many countries.
3. To adopt policies aimed at enlarging the number of people for whom tourism opportunities are available including special provisions aimed to encourage those on lower incomes to engage in tourist activities.
4. Encourage consultation amongst the social partners at national and local level in the tourism and hospitality sector to mitigate the negative effects of the crisis and promote tourism in general
5. Respond to joint approaches by employers’ and workers’ organizations (1) in the sector to initiate temporary measures to reduce costs (including a review of all tourism related taxation) during the crisis period. Such measures should be enacted in a transparent manner and their impact should be monitored by tripartite structures charged with the task of ensuring that the measures meet the principal objective of maintaining employment and acceptable conditions for the operations of the industry
6. Assist employers’ and workers’ organizations (1) to set up education and training programs principally designed to retain employees within the industry and enhance their opportunities for a secure future in the industry. Such training should be at no cost to employees. In particular to provide state-supported education and training opportunities where possible as an alternative to unemployment, noting that state investment in such training might involve overall costs not necessarily higher than the costs of provisions for an unemployed worker in the sector
7. Allocate significant funding to assist the sector and its workers who suffer temporary or permanent loss of employment and income as a result of any downturn in tourism.
8. Approach relevant International Financial Institutions (IFI’s) and specifically The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund to provide the necessary resources on favourable terms to those countries who are unable to meet the commitments described above from within their own national budgets
For action by employers’ and workers’ organizations (1)
1. Recognize the value of national level and local level joint approaches by the social partners to respond to issues arising from the current tourism crisis based on the following principles:
¨ Commitment by the social partners to seek mutually agreed ways to extend employment, avoid and limit employment losses and, wherever possible, to prioritize the reintegration of workers facing short-term job loss as a result of the crisis
¨ The development of joint and agreed approaches to governments calling for action to reduce the impact of a decline in economic activity as a result of the crisis
For action by the ILO
1. Support calls for direct intervention from relevant International Financial Institutions (IFI’s) and specifically The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund to provide the necessary resources on favourable terms to those governments who may be unable to take the necessary practical action because of constraints within their own national budgets
2. Co-operate with all relevant international bodies active in the tourism sector to continue to assess the evolving impact of the September 11 events and subsequent related developments on tourism. Such cooperation might include convening future informal review meetings such as that held on October 25-26, 2001
3. Ensure a proper dissemination to all parties active in tourism of relevant information both that arising from this process and that available to the ILO in general. In particular such dissemination of information should include positive examples of action that successfully avoids employment losses in the industry and preserves the continuing well-being of the sector
4. Based on its policy and mandate of seeking inclusive social dialogue, encourage the full participation of the social partners in consultations relating to the crisis (for instance in the framework of the growing number of national tourism crisis management structures)
5. Implement the conclusions of the tripartite meeting on human resources development, employment and globalization in the hotel, catering and tourism sector (Geneva, April 2-6, 2001) particularly that part relating to putting in place national systems for training and skill development, particularly in poorer countries. This again might require approaches to the IFI’s for practical support to such countries
6. Organize ILO education programs specifically aimed at the hotel and tourism sector for workers and employers, particularly aimed at facilitating such activities within small and medium enterprises
7. Take urgent and appropriate measures to implement the resolutions adopted by the tripartite meeting on human resources development, employment and globalization in the hotel, catering and tourism sector (Geneva, April 2-6, 2001) and particularly the resolution concerning measures to promote employment. Amongst other things this resolution called upon the ILO Director-General, in close cooperation with pertinent employers’ and workers’ organizations (1), to conduct a comparative study on measures to promote employment in the HRCT sector during the low season and to assess, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization, the impact of such programmes on the different types of tourism
8. Ensure adequate resources, including staff resources, for this strategically and, short-term crises not withstanding, growing sector of economic activity and employment. Such resources should be clearly identifiable within the ILO’s administration and should be at least at the level that existed when the HOTOUR service was in place and fully staffed
(1) Primarily trade unions.
