WTTC tips

The Travel & Tourism sector entered 2023 like a marathon runner hitting the last six miles of a race. It fought its way through almost two years of the COVID-19 pandemic — only to be overwhelmed, as the disease waned, by an unprecedented surge in travel by people tired of quarantines and lockdowns. With many in the sector still struggling to fill their workforces to handle this significant uptake of travel, big and small companies alike now face their next challenge — the accelerating transition from voluntary to mandatory sustainability reporting. Are they ready for it?

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the UK Travel & Tourism sector is forecast to exceed the 2019 peak this year. The sector is set to contribute £252.4BN to the UK economy this year, surpassing the 2019 pre-pandemic high of £248.5BN.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) partnered with Hotelbeds to bring sector leaders together in Palma, Mallorca, to delve into the ever-evolving dynamics of global Travel & Tourism. Titled “Global Trends in the Tourism Sector”, the event provided a platform for attendees to gain valuable insights into the current state of Travel & Tourism through presentations and discussions led by Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, and Hotelbeds’ CEO Nicolas Huss.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) stands in solidarity with the people of Morocco during this tragic time. The news of the devastating earthquake in the High Atlas mountains, the deadliest in 60 years, has deeply moved us all. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones, and to the numerous communities shattered by this disaster.

A thought leadership event exploring the significant untapped potential of retail tourism took place at La Roca Village, part of The Bicester Collection, in Barcelona, concluding with a resounding call for attention to the importance of retail tourism. The event featured the launch of a ground-breaking report, “Global Retail Tourism: Trends and Insights”, a collaborative effort between the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), The Bicester Collection and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With a strong focus on data and insights, the report seeks to define the future of retail tourism, highlighting the key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the sector.

Strong travel growth spurred rise in sector investment in 2022; Asia-Pacific and Africa see investment up 161% in 2022 over 2000.

Retail tourism was worth US$178.2 billion, equivalent to 6% of the Travel & Tourism sector, and can represent more than 15% in some destinations.

Strong outbound growth from US Travellers; US Domestic Travel & Tourism market demonstrates its resilience.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the U.S. remains the preferred choice for shopping holidaymakers, as revealed at Virtuoso Travel Week, taking place in Las Vegas, from 13 to 18 August.

Prior to joining the Saudi Tourism Ministry as a senior advisor , Gloria led the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as President and CEO, having joined in 2017. WTTC represents the global travel & tourism private sector worldwide, a sector that generates 10% of GDP and accounts for 300 million jobs globally. Gloria was the global voice for the sector and, under her leadership, WTTC led the industry’s agenda during the most difficult crisis in history, the Covid19 pandemic. WTTC successfully unified the sector and implemented measures to reduce the impact such as the creation of the “Safe Travels” global protocols and a stamp that were granted to more than 400 destinations around the world. WTTC also pursued active engagement with over 150 governments to share best practices and public policies to support workers and the private sector, including millions of SMEs, in addition to providing guidelines from lessons learned to help the strong recovery.

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2023 Global Trends Report today reveals an encouraging resurgence in Travel & Tourism investment, overcoming pandemic setbacks and signalling a strong return to growth. From 2010 to 2019, investment grew steadily at 4.3% CAGR, growing from $754.6BN in 2010 to $1.1TN in 2019, or 4.5% of all economy-wide investment. COVID-19 hit hard, leading to a 24% decline in 2020 and a further 8% in 2021.

A senior U.S. official found himself explaining to world leaders how tourism works within the U.S. government.

Movie actor Ed Norton is working with the former president of Six Senses on developing a new eco-resort in Kenya.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 30. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

A venture studio shut down its remote working startup after discovering its business model wasn’t really meeting its goals.

India is expected to overtake Germany to become the world’s third most powerful travel and tourism market by 2032, according to World Travel and Tourism Council’s Economic Impact Research.

As Radisson Hotels Group continues to expand internationally through its existing brands, its strategy is to focus on service quality and consistency. For Federico González, CEO of the hotel group, having nine big global brands is better than chasing a mass of weak brands.

Taking note of the massive delay in processing visas, the U.S. is taking steps to reduce wait times for Indians. The U.S. Consulate in Mumbai has brought in consular officers from around the world to help out with visa operations. “All hands on deck to reduce visa wait times! Our incredible team of consular officers have temporarily left their regular duties around the world, from the State Department in DC to the U.S. Consulate Naha, to help out with visa operations in Mumbai,” the consulate in Mumbai tweeted. Reducing visa delays has been a priority for the U.S. consulates in India as wait times for visitor visas are still around 614 days. The U.S. Embassy in India processed over 100,000 visa applications in January 2023, their highest total in a single month and the highest in any month since July 2019, according to media reports.

Beach destinations are heading into the summer under a more competitive tourism environment under which their pandemic-powered visitation growth rates are likely to soften thanks to cities and international travel fully back in the traveler choice mix.

India’s travel and tourism sector is poised to contribute $200 billion (Rs16.5 trillion) to the country’s economy in 2023, just 3.5 percent below 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The sector is also set to create over 1.6 million additional jobs this year, nearly restoring the employment levels lost during the Covid-19 pandemic to reach almost 39 million.