The World Travel & Tourism Council is launching a new marketing campaign, #TogetherInTravel.

The drive is aimed at galvanising the global tourism community.

Going live today, the campaign encourages travellers from around the world to share the hashtag #TogetherInTravel along with a video simultaneously uniting everyone in solidarity at the same moment.

The marketing campaign comprises three key elements; a highly visual and emotive video; a hashtag, #TogetherInTravel, to stimulate the conversation across social platforms; and a microsite  to host the video and user generated content and stories.

WTTC has developed the campaign in conjunction with one of its members, marketing and communications firm MMGY Hills Balfour.

Gloria Guevara, chief executive of WTTC, added: “Dreaming is part of our zest for life and our new campaign encourages thoughts of the brighter days ahead.

“Tourism is a critical sector to the global economy, accounting for one in four of all new jobs worldwide and contributing 10.3 per cent to GDP.

“Our sector touches everyone.

“It builds communities, reduces poverty in the world and improves the social impact of everyday lives.

“Yet we are uniquely exposed at this time due to Covid-19.”

She added: “The concept for the #TogetherInTravel campaign was borne out of a desire to rally everyone who is passionate about travel, to unify those who are working hard to rebuild the sector and to spread a message of solidarity that we are one global community, and one where travel brings us closer, at the right time.

“Our message is that everyone can still stay inspired with future travel ideas and bookings – and in the meantime be part of a virtual space for sharing, connecting, and collectively inspiring.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council represents the global tourism private sector.

The new campaign was created for the World Travel & Tourism Council by MMGY Hills Balfour, an international travel, tourism and lifestyle communications agency.

Amanda Hills, president of MMGY Hills Balfour, argued the government could do more to support the industry.

She explained: “Tourism is a sector which touches everyone – it has the power to build communities and improve everyday lives.

“In the UK, the sector accounts for over ten per cent of all employment, that is 3.2 million jobs.

“The sector is uniquely exposed at this time and, while we appreciate that the UK government is doing the most extraordinary job of managing the crisis, there is much more that can be done to support businesses that will enable the industry to recover faster.

“The UK government’s coronavirus job retention scheme was very welcome and is allowing many tourism businesses to stay alive during these unprecedented times, but the sector needs more.

“While governments across Europe seem to fully appreciate the importance of tourism as it relates to economic recovery, the UK government could become much more engaged with the travel community.”

Hills added: “At the moment, it is of utmost importance that everyone plays their part and stays at home, to protect the extraordinary NHS and to save lives.

“In the not too distant future, when bans are lifted, and restrictions removed, people will look to travel once again. Therefore, it’s incumbent on us all to collectively ensure that we have an industry to come back to.

“#TogetherInTravel is a wonderful opportunity for all who love travel to keep its spark alive, enabling us to better benefit communities across the UK and around the world when the time is right.

“We need to galvanise the travel community now to help the tourism sector be as strong as possible when we emerge from this pandemic.”