Washington to host WTTC 2006 Summit
By David Browne
LONDON (eTurboNews) — The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has selected Washington DC as the venue for its 2006 Global Summit, which for some people in the industry is a universal first choice. The USA does not have a good image abroad, especially in some regions of the world where tourism is emerging as a strong factor in economic growth. Vincent Wolfington, WTTC chairman, is attending the World Travel Market in London this week and he was asked why Washington had been chosen for the WTTC’s big event.
“We have chosen the US for our meeting because it represents 25 percent of the world tourist economy. Although travel to the US is down since 2000, the US remains an important source market for tourism in other countries around the world.
“The WTTC Summit in Washington DC could be the most important tourism event in the world to date. Representatives of the industry from China, India, Japan, Russia – tourism markets that are growing fast and could overtake the US in a few years – will interact with players in the US. Their growth means travel and tourism is growing in importance economically on the world stage. The WTTC Summit will be the voice of the global industry and it will attract public and private sector decision-makers.”
“The theme of the 2006 WTTC Summit is Open Mind Open World. Creativity, innovation and energy are driving forward our industry in a complex and rapidly changing world. The mission of the WTTC is to promote the economic and social benefits of the travel and tourism industry, also its impact on the environment and the people who live in the destinations, and to promote private enterprise in developing countries and the developed world.”
Last year, the WTTC Summit was in Qatar, one of Arabian Gulf states where tourism is booming; this year it was in India, a rapidly growing tourist market. By contrast, tourism in the US has taken a knock with recent hurricane devastation, yet Washington is the location of the next WTTC Summit.
“The timing makes sense,” said Wolfington. “The US has been hit by disasters, some man-made, some natural, that have impacted on tourism. Governments have had to deal with these things, just as the tourism industry has. In the past it was tourism ministers looking at destinations and recovery of services, now you have economic and finance ministers involved looking at the economic impact and the social impact of travel and tourism. Our aim in the WTTC is to integrate the private sector and government to demonstrate how they can work together. The USA and Washington in particular is a good choice of venue for the WTTC Summit. The WTTC stays above the foray and thinks in terms of the travel and tourism industry as a whole. Governments tend to think of the parts.
On whether there were any fears that certain countries would be deterred by the WTTC’s apparent closeness to the US government in staging its annual summit in Washington, Wolfington said: “We are not aligning ourselves with the US government,” he said. “The WTTC stays above the foray. The travel and tourism industry is a strong driver of world peace. Globalization, information technology, demographics and prosperity have all had an impact on tourism. Destinations in developing countries hold great promise, and new tourist regions like the ten new members of the European Union are making a big investment in tourism. As people travel, they learn and understand one another better.”
The WTTC Summit is an annual platform for industry leaders and senior government officials from around the world to meet and discuss key issues that affect the long-term development and success of the global travel and tourism industry, under the watchful eye of the world press.
“It brings together CEOs, government ministers and the world’s media to discuss global issues impacting on the tourism industry,” said Wolfington. “Our attention will be focused on the strategic vision that is necessary to realize the world’s most significant potential for jobs, wealth and prosperity across all regions of the globe. The USA – the world’s single largest travel and tourism economy – is the ideal setting for this task.
“Sometimes the decision-makers in the public sector and in high levels of government often do not have the same opportunity to get the input from the private-sector decision-makers in their day to day operations.”
“The US has an image problem abroad. Its visa policies and intense border security measures are not popular. But there is a chance that we all could learn from the developments that have taken place in security, because everyone needs to feel safe if they are to travel. The world is becoming gradually more comfortable with disaster after each event. It took the US at least six months to recover from its 9/11 disaster, it took Madrid one month and London 48 hours.”
Wolfington suggested that part of the US government image problem was that it didn’t always listen. “Our input is to create greater awareness, fostering an environment where there can be dialogue between the public and private sectors on issues and they can reflect on them in a meaningful way. We have received indications from some top US government officials that they will support and even take part in the WTTC Summit, including officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Commerce and the Department of State.
“Major issues that are of global concern have a chance to be aired where the decision-makers have the benefit of a hearing from ministers of other governments as well as CEOs of companies from other countries and they get an insight that they wouldn’t normally have.
As we were speaking, discussions were getting under way in Washington on the contentious issue of open skies over the Atlantic and the related question of whether the US government would allow foreign ownership of American domestic airlines. Both would have enormous implications for consolidation and development in passenger aviation. Vincent Wolfington was asked if the WTTC might shed any light on such issues when it meets in Washington.
“Airlines are some way behind the rest of the travel and tourism industry in matters such as consolidation and adapting to changes in the nature of the market.
“The US has been myopic, short-sighted. Yet 40 percent of the population is over 60 years of age and they want to travel. The US cannot stand alone, and international issues such as the question of open skies and foreign ownership of American domestic airlines will no doubt be examined. The WTTC Summit will illuminate different viewpoints to which decision-makers are not normally exposed.”
The WTTC 2006 Global Summit will be held at the Washington Convention Center April 10-12 2006, and is co-hosted by the Travel Business Roundtable and the Travel Industry Association of America. Information is available online at www.globaltraveltourism.com
November 16, 2005
Posted in: United States East