Major governments should take more account of travel and tourism when framing policy, says WTTC chief executive and president David Scowsill as he welcomes delegates to Hainan
WTTC is back in China for the first time since our Beijing Summit in 2010. Like most industries, our sector has experienced an extraordinary sea-change caused by the effects of the Asia Miracle in the intervening years.
China is now the second-largest travel and tourism economy in the world, supporting 65 million jobs and contributing 9% of China’s GDP. The travel and tourism industry here is forecast to keep growing at over 7% per year for the next ten years.
Hainan Province, China’s only tropical island resort and the location for this year’s Summit, is one of the world’s fastest growing international tourism destinations. Thanks to its rich cultural diversity and wealth of natural resources, Hainan has attracted huge interest from Chinese and foreign developers.
WTTC’s research shows that Hainan has the potential to become a world-class destination by 2020, and the WTTC Global Summit is one of the events which the Government of Hainan Province had the vision to identify as being a major contributor to building that international reputation.
Looking beyond China though, the contribution of travel and tourism to the global economy is also indisputable. WTTC forecasts that travel and tourism will grow globally by over 4% each year for the next 10 years. By 2024 our industry will be worth over US$3 trillion globally.
So it should come as no surprise to say that governments need travel and tourism. They need our contribution to trade and new WTTC research released at this Summit will demonstrate the intrinsic link between our industry and increased global commerce.
Yet too many governments around the world still fail to acknowledge the vast potential of our industry. This leads to destructive border policies, punitive taxes and poor long-term infrastructural planning. It is an ongoing strategic priority for WTTC – which we will continue to discuss here in Hainan – that governments need to understand how such policies hamper travel and tourism growth.
Governments also need travel and tourism to support the process of nation building and disaster recovery. They need us to provide bridges to increase international cooperation and help foster greater understanding between societies.
Speaking at our Global Summit last year, President Bill Clinton said: “I have seen that peace works better than conflict – and one of the best manifestations of this is Travel & Tourism”. He is absolutely right. Travel and tourism has a unique role to play as a driver of mutual respect, diplomacy and peace-keeping.
The WTTC Summit is a unique gathering of travel industry leaders, who can make the world a more prosperous and better place. Our members are proud to provide prosperity and jobs for millions as a force for good in a problematic and unpredictable world.
But how can we get the message across to key audiences of government, the media and the consumer that travel and tourism is a ‘Force for Good’ socially, politically and economically? That’s the question we aim to answer over the next two days here in Hainan.