News for the Hospitality Executive |
May 20, 2011 - At the conclusion of the 11th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Las Vegas, David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) called on the Travel & Tourism industry to come together with one voice so that it can be better placed to engage in dialogue with governments and ensure that the industry can power global growth in the twenty first century. Scowsill pledged that he would unite the voices of WTTC Members with those of industry and trade bodies as well as intergovernmental agencies and organisations in a new coalition. "My hope is that this coalition will bring us together where there is shared ground and issues, and allow us to target our messages in a clear and unambiguous way. Where we can, WTTC will take leadership on particular matters. And equally, where required, WTTC will provide support or follow the lead of others within the coalition. It is not important who leads or who follows as long as we get the job done", he said. From the discussions which took place during the Summit, Scowsill identified six areas where this work could begin:
He called for governments around the world to open their doors to Travel & Tourism, following the examples of Mexico and South Africa. "Where there are open doors, we will offer our advice and our best efforts to work together. Where we find doors closed, we will knock loudly and in unison until they are eventually opened. President Calderon took the time to come to the Summit to cement his support for partnership and co-operation. He provides us with an example of how an administration can be actively open for business with the Travel & Tourism sector", Scowsill added. He continued, "Over the past two days we have heard very positive words of encouragement from the US Administration, suggesting that there are more doors starting to open than we thought. We look forward to these positive words being turned into deeds and actions that make a real difference. Over 900 delegates attended the Summit, which was hosted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and took place at the Aria Resort and Casino. The 12th Global Travel & Tourism Summit will take place in Tokyo, Japan on 17-19 April 2012. "We thank our Japanese friends for their invitation to Tokyo in 2012 and their leadership in demonstrating the important role Travel & Tourism plays in bringing wealth generation and jobs back to those regions affected by unforeseen calamities. We look forward to their hospitality next year and seeing at first hand their remarkable recovery", concluded Scowsill. WTTC is the forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourism industry. With the Chairs and Chief Executives of the 100 foremost Travel & Tourism companies in the world as its Members, WTTC has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to Travel & Tourism. WTTC works to raise awareness of Travel & Tourism as one of the world's largest industries, employing approximately 258 million people and generating over 9% of world GDP. |
Contact: Anja Eckervogt Communications Executive Phone: +44 (0) 20 7481 6484 Email: [email protected] |