World Travel & Tourism Council
Estimates $200 Million Needed To Jump-Start Industry
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a
forum for business leaders, with CEOs from 100 of the world’s
leading travel and tourism companies as its members. As one of the
world’s largest industries (employing approximately 230 million
people and generating over 10% of the world’s GDP), its goal is to
raise awareness of travel and tourism.
Less than six months after WTTC’s Global Travel
& Tourism Summit in Washington (DC), the Council and its American
members are calling on the U.S. Government to “recognize the state
of the industry.” Which they contend is in need of attention, having
lost an average of $20 billion a year due to a declining status
worldwide.
WTTC’s manifesto for the industry outlines five
recommendations:
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The economic and social importance of travel & tourism needs to be
recognized at the highest levels of government.
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The U.S. Government must focus and finish its plans to
introduce new security measures based on biometric technology, which
will boost public confidence and provide a positive image of the
United States.
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It’s recommended that U.S. stakeholders from federal and
state governments, along with the private sector, meet at a
nationwide conference around the theme “Reconquer Markets, Regain
Confidence.” The main aim of this conference should be to develop a
3-year agenda with clearly defined objectives geared towards
regaining the status of the USA as the most important Travel &
Tourism destination in the world.
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It’s time to embrace a national marketing strategy and
mandate a significant national promotional budget directed towards
those markets that represent the greatest potential for the
destination. WTTC estimates that $200 million would be a realistic
starting point from which a marketing campaign could make a
significant impact.
In 2005 the U.S. Travel & Tourism
Advisory Board (TTAB), operated through the Department of Commerce,
has not implemented any of the resolutions made at the conference.
The TTAB should be provided with the necessary resources and
cooperation from the federal government to assist in achieving the
goals laid out in their strategy.