According to the World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC, the pandemic has erased 62 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector globally, in 2020.

WTTC addresses the current scenario in their blog, on how they conducted researches on the pandemic impact fluctuations. People’s desire to travel remains strong and was further strengthened by the various lockdowns and inability to see loved ones, with the pandemic ultimately highlighting the value of the Travel & Tourism sector to the global economy. As the sector recovers, it is important to learn from this crisis so it can be more resilient in the future.

During the pandemic, WTTC:

• launched SafeTravels Protocols and Stamp in May 2020 due to the need for a globally coordinated approach to recovery.
• hold bi-weekly calls with all the key associations in the sector including; Airports Council International (ACI), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Duty Free World Council (DFWC), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), U.S. Travel Association (USTA) and World Economic Forum (WEF).
• hold weekly calls with WTTC members, during which governments across the world have been presenting what they are doing in their countries to help restart the sector.
• participate in events & webinars alongside associations, governments, and our members discussing recovery and restart.
• worked alongside the G20 to create the G20’s Public & Private Sector 100 Million Jobs Recovery Plan.
• hold meetings with Governments across the world as well as sent numerous letters outlining the urgent needs from the private sector.
• launched our #TogetherInTravel global campaign series to encourage the sharing of travel stories and with their latest video in the series, focusing on reuniting.
• launched #ONEin330Million campaign on giving a voice to someone whose livelihood was affected by the pandemic.
• Released Lessons Learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to manage the spread of the virus.
• participate in many association campaigns, including, #OpenUpToEurope from the European Tourism Commission (ETC) focusing on reopening European tourism and a revival of travel confidence

Likewise, this state of the economy implies that the hospitality industry is dealing with a shortage of talent to a great extent. Speaking of which, Marriott International is clear in its recruitment strategies. They say “At Marriott, Ladies and Gentlemen serve Ladies and Gentlemen”. This simple expression clearly draws a picture of who they are hiring and who they are hiring for.

Global media says the effects of pandemic have caused a shortage of skilled hospitality staff which may well be the case where travel restrictions are preventing the recruitment of frontline workers. Moreover, employees in the hospitality sector have defaulted to better-paid roles out of the industry. Scan through their resource for more information.