The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) has been granted access to utilise World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) health protocols.

The move will allow CATO members to use WTTC’s ‘Safe Travels’ protocols in their communications and promotional materials, “subject to acknowledgment of, and agreement to, a set of usage principles”, managing director Brett Jardine (pictured above) said.

“Our application has now been approved based on our members implementation of enhanced health and safety measures, in line with the WTTC global Safe Travels protocols,” he said.

It also means that CATO members will be able to utilise the landmark global safety and hygiene stamp, developed by the WTTC and backed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), based on their commitment to CATO’s protocols, which align with WTTC’s rules for tour operators.

The Safe Travels protocols were developed to optimise sector-wide recovery efforts by rebuilding confidence among travellers and ensuring a coordinated approach across the global travel and tourism public and private sectors.

However, use of the Safe Travels stamp as a CATO member is approved based on the acknowledgment and agreement to a few additional terms:

• For one, your use of the protocols is entirely voluntary and WTTC assumes no liability for your use of the protocols
• You are solely responsible for deciding whether compliance with, and implementation of, the protocols is suitable for you and lawful in the jurisdiction in which you operate
• The protocols have not been approved or accredited by any governmental or regulatory body and serve as a set of ‘best practice’ guidelines only, and that by offering the protocols for use by organisations, WTTC is not providing an official certification or accreditation system
• Use of the protocols will be entirely at your own risk.

CATO members can check out the standards set out by the council here.