Tourism leaders gather for WTTC’s annual Global Summit 2021 at Cancun, Mexico
The world’s leading Tourism Ministers joined together to urge the public and private sectors to work together in partnership to save Travel & Tourism at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The plea came at the Global Leaders Dialogue session at WTTC’s annual Global Summit 2021, which is being held in Cancun Mexico this week.
The Global Summit is the most important Travel & Tourism event for the private sector and is the world’s first major gathering of world tourism leaders since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Hundreds of CEOs, business leaders and tourism ministers gathered in Cancun for the first time in nearly a year – with thousands more participating virtually – in the hybrid event.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has been at the forefront of global efforts to restore safe international travel in the COVID-19 era.
Key ministers and business leaders participated in the event, which enabled those taking part in the forum to discuss how the Travel & Tourism sector could safely revive international travel and help generate the global economic recovery.
Facilitated by prominent US travel journalist Peter Greenberg, the ministers looked back over the last year and shared how devastating the pandemic had been for the sector and how vital it was that action be taken now to arrest the collapse of businesses and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
However, the ministers attending the event with senior Travel & Tourism business leaders agreed that the need for close public and private collaboration would be key to the sector reviving the global economy.
This was the second major meeting this year between the two sectors, since the private sector was invited to attend an historic meeting of G20 tourism ministers for the first time.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The seriousness of the impact of COVID-19 cannot be overestimated. WTTC research shows this crisis has been 18 times worse than the 2008 financial crash.
“But WTTC has worked tirelessly with its Members to find solutions to revive the sector and save millions of jobs globally which have been lost and the terrible social impact of their disappearance.
“The debate today enabled leading Ministers to share their thoughts about how the sector can tackle the pressing issues of how to save jobs, save businesses and save the global economy by safely reviving international travel.
“It was hugely encouraging to see there was common agreement by all those attending that collaboration and cooperation between the public and private sector, would lead the way for revival of international travel.
“This will be critical to powering the world’s recovery, so we are indebted to those ministers who joined us today to be part of this amazing event and help kickstart our Global Summit and energise the sector to unite and make a difference.”
Among those participating in WTTC’s Global Leaders Dialogue were Harry Theocharis, Minister of Tourism, Greece who championed the public sector’s lead to provide a roadmap out of the COVID-19 Crisis.
Kevin McAleenan, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, said it was vital the international community laid down parameters and followed through at the governmental level, advocating a pragmatic risk-management approach to resuscitate international travel.
Portuguese Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, said the sector must avoid taking short-term decisions and instead advocated the development of a long-term strategy by government and private companies.
Colombian Vice Minister of Tourism, Julián Guerrero Orozco, warned against the prolonged use of ‘health passports’, which create a danger of first and second class travellers and become a real barrier to travel.
Also participating were Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés Verelst, Nicole Marrder, Minister of Tourism of Honduras and Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica.
Mexico was represented by Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, Governor of Quintana Roo and Federal Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués.
The private sector was represented by some of the world’s top Travel & Tourism companies, including Andrea Grisdale, Chief Executive Officer and Sole Founder of IC Bellagio and Dan Richards, Chief Executive Officer of Global Rescue.
Fawaz Farooqui, Managing Director of Cruise Saudi also participated, along with Kike Sarasola, President & Founder of Room Mate, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of Airports Council International (ACI) and Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio di Balsorano de Clunieres, Chairman of Abercrombie & Kent.
Under the theme “Uniting the World for Recovery”, the Global Summit made history by becoming the first global Travel & Tourism event where leaders gathered in person since the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the sector and brought most major events around the world to a grinding halt in March 2020.
World Travel & Tourism Council President & CEO Gloria Guevara in her opening speech praised the Travel & Tourism private sector for its steadfast and united approach during the Covid-19 pandemic and said together they would lead the way for the sector’s recovery.
In her speech, Guevara also focused on the terrible human impact of the pandemic and travel restrictions which had devastated the sector and the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people around the world; people who depend on Travel & Tourism to survive, to provide for their families.
“While 2020 was not the year we expected it to be, it was a year during which people really came together. We saw our sector join forces to support our workforce and the local communities that host us.
“From using our facilities as emergency hospitals and offering hotel rooms to doctors and nurses; to providing free meals to millions and transforming convention centres in medical facilities. We have seen an amazing response.
“One thing has been clear, our Members, the leaders and captains of our sector have truly stepped up; I am very proud. I have learned through their example that leadership matters, especially during such difficult times.
“What is clear is that we are not going back to 2019; we are moving forward. Travel & Tourism will come out of this crisis stronger and better. But to do so, it is crucial we continue working together to achieve recovery both financially and socially. We need to be united.
During her speech, Gloria reminded delegates of the steady stream of initiatives which WTTC had taken during the pandemic to protect the sector and lead the way back to recovery.
Thanks to its knowledge of its Members and the expertise of public health leaders, WTTC created the Safe Travels Global Protocols & the Stamp to learn from past pandemics and create consistency for the sector and reassurance for travellers. Over 260 destinations have recognised the stamp so far, including Cancun.
WTTC also engaged with more than 150 governments to advocate for policies and measures which would protect and ensure the survival of the global Travel & Tourism sector and its workforce.
The global tourism body also participated in a historic G20 Tourism official meeting and presented an ambitious plan to recover 100 million jobs. For the first time the importance of the private sector in Travel & Tourism was included in the leaders’ declaration.
WTTC’s 2021 Economic Impact Research shows that in 2020, the global Travel & Tourism sector lost almost USD$4.5 trillion dollars with over 62 million jobs lost. Its GDP contribution fell to USD$4.7 trillion in 2020 from nearly US$ 9.2 trillion the previous year, a decrease of 49%.
The sector’s contribution to the global economy decreased from 10.4% to just 5.5% last year. Leisure spending decreased by 49.4% while business spending by 61%. The pandemic crisis was 18 times bigger than the global financial crisis of 2008.