Latin American Travel Association partners with Safer Tourism Foundation

16.07.2024 - 10:19 / traveldailynews.com / Theodore Koumelis

The Latin American Tourism Association (LATA) partners with the Safer Tourism Foundation to enhance traveler safety, offering members expert resources and a dedicated safety webinar.

The Latin American Tourism Association (LATA) has entered into a partnership with the Safer Tourism Foundation as part of its ongoing commitment to promoting traveller safety. The Safer Tourism Foundation is an independent charity, dedicated to saving lives and preventing serious harm or injury to travellers, both at home and abroad. As an affiliate partner, Latin American Travel Association and its members will have access to the Foundation’s specialist expertise and content, while supporting the charity in its mission.

LATA members are invited to join a webinar with Katherine Atkinson, Safer Tourism Foundation’s CEO on 12 September to learn more about the ‘Holiday Head’ phenomenon, travellers’ propensity to behave differently when they travel than they would if they were at home, and to learn more about the Safer Tourism Pledge. The Pledge is a set of commitments that have been developed in partnership with the travel industry to articulate a stringent approach to traveller risk, health and safety.

Danny Callaghan, CEO of Latin American Travel Association, says, “I am delighted for LATA to become a partner of the Safer Tourism Foundation. LATA has offered all members complimentary access to its Safety Scheme with the aim of improving safety standards across Latin America and this partnership is a natural progression for us. I would encourage all holiday providers to address their health and safety policies, minimising risks for travellers wherever possible.”

The Safer Tourism Foundation’s work is evidence driven. It collects anonymised safety incident data in collaboration with the travel industry, to understand the root causes of preventable harm, injuries, illnesses and deaths and use this information to create awareness, influence traveller behaviour and encourage actions to minimise risks when travelling. The charity endorses collaboration ahead of competition across the industry when it comes to safety and risk management, which aligns with the Latin American Travel Association principles to promote cooperation among members to amplify its impact.

Katherine Atkinson, CEO of the Safer Tourism Foundation, says, “We are thrilled to have LATA on board with us, and look forward to introducing our work to LATA members. For many of us, something happens to us when we leave home – we behave and even think differently. Our recent research backs this up. Making travel safe and sustainable is dependent upon how all of us behave, and the Holiday Head is a complex web of cognitive, social, cultural and emotional influences.