European hospitality steps in against war in Ukraine

In response to the crisis, a great number of hospitality businesses have been launching actions to provide immediate shelter and protection to the Ukrainian refugees. We strongly encourage all efforts from our member organisations who have been coordinating these actions with governments and local authorities. 

 We warmly welcome both the EU’s Guidelines on external border management and the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive by the European Council. 

 On 16 March, HOTREC and EFFAT issued a joint statement. Together, we condemn Russia’s invasion and reiterate our support to the Ukrainian people, employers’ associations and trade unions from the hospitality sector. The Ukrainian Hotel and Resort Association joined HOTREC in 2021, and we are proud of this partnership. 

 Earlier on 4 March, HOTREC had already addressed a letter to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and joined the call by several UNWTO members to suspend the Russian Federation from the organisation. We expect its General Assembly to follow suit. 

 We anticipate that the hospitality sector – still weakened by Covid-19 – will be highly affected by this conflict. For this reason, we will continue our dialogue with the European Commission and the Member States to consider measures to minimise the impact of the war on workers and businesses.