According to the WTTC, 1.9 million jobs have already been impacted – but this could yet rise to 2.4 million if there is no immediate alleviation of restrictions on international travel.
However, the outlook is more positive than the WTTC’s outlook from June, when its modelling predicted some 2.9 million jobs would be impacted.
The WTTC attributed the "small but positive" gain to the government’s travel corridor regime, and an increase in domestic travel over the summer.
Nonetheless, the council still estimates prolonged travel restrictions could wipe £124 billion off travel’s contribution to UK GDP, down 62% on 2019.
"The depth of the long-term crisis facing the UK travel and tourism sector, if restrictions on travel continue in the months ahead, is evident from the latest WTTC figures," said WTTC president and chief executive Gloria Guevara.
"We fully understand protecting public health is the number one priority. However, the sector’s recovery will be delayed even further unless countries implement measures to reactivate travel responsibly, such as the implementation of a testing protocol for travellers."
Guevara said it was vital quarantine-free travel was restored on routes bridging the world’s leading financial hubs, such as London-New York or London-Dubai, to help "kick-start" an economic recovery in the UK and around the world, and avoid the "devastating and far-reaching socio-economic consequences" of prolonged travel restrictions.
“It is clear that only international cooperation at the highest level, and engagement with the public and private sector, can save the beleaguered travel and tourism sector as it continues its fight for survival," Guevara added.
“We need to learn to co-exist with this virus and measures should be in place to reactivate both inbound and outbound travel responsibly and avoid the economic and social hardship."
The WTTC recently established a global steering committee tasked with reviving international travel through public and private sector cooperation, and contributed to a meeting of G20 tourism ministers – along with some of its members – to to present a 100 million job recovery plan.
The council said the plan was created with input from members and covered a range of key initiatives, hinging on securing strong international coordination to re-establish operations and restart international travel.
