As full members of WYSETC we applaud the confederation’s initiative as outlined in the weekly newsletter of September 25, 2020, to develop the WYSE COVID-19 safe accommodation declaration as a good first step in ensuring guests are assured of a safe and comfortable stay in hostels. We were happy to offer our expertise as contributors, however small, this summer as the confederation was trying to finalize the concept. Furthermore, as the Canadian representative on ISO/PAS 5643 — Measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus, an ISO committee focused on managing COVID-19 in tourism, we believe we have every interest in ensuring the seal succeeds. However, we also are concerned about the practical limits of such an approach. EBI Group is in the business of doing customized risk management and quality assurance audits activities, and this seems particularly apposite for our comments below; and as such, we offer the following observations:
The WYSE-TC program is self-declaration. This is in contrast to ISO standards certification procedures, which set out a clear set of processes and rules in order for an operator to be successfully certified, and clear conditions are attached to this certification; however, the anti-COVID-19 sanitary seals do not have clear, detailed rules for obtaining and keeping the declaration. We would encourage WYSETC to clarify the audit process and requirements, as well as how the weekly spot check would be carried out. As well, we would encourage participating hostels to invest in a third-party audit with us or some other professional firm to help build capacity and refine policies and procedures.
The newsletter mentions that “[i]f an accommodation provider is not able to commit to the required standards; it will be removed from the scheme.” We suggest that it be clearer that this would be indicated to travellers.
Sanitary labels are essentially newly described protocols to tackle and prevent COVID-19 spread. They are quite generic, and therefore a particular degree of customization is needed in our opinion to adapt them individually for each hotel, hostel, resort chain, or other establishment seeking this certification. We have not identified such a developed approach yet. We would encourage participating operators to engage with a specialized firm that can handle such projects.
We look forward to the implementation of the WYSETC plan to help tourism businesses recover from this unprecedented challenge.
