Industry leaders unite to tackle visa problems
Travel and tourism industry leaders around the world have pledged to work together to persuade governments to improve visa-entry procedures to stimulate travel and create jobs.
Those attending the World Travel & Tourism Council’s 12th Global Summit in Tokyo agreed to speak with on voice to governments to persuade them to find better ways to balance the needs of national security and tourism.
Led by a core group on stage and supported by senior members of the industry from within the audience, the WTTC Global Summit identified restrictive visa policies as a critical impediment to the growth of travel and tourism around the world.
The travel and tourism industry represents as much as 9% of global GDP and employs 255 million people worldwide. It is roughly double the size of automative manufacturing and a third larger than the chemicals industry.
As such, encouraging governments to take steps to improve visa procedures as an effective means to increase the flow of travellers and thus wealth was identified as a priority for the newly-formed Travel Association Coalition; a collaboration between global tourism bodies to co-ordinate messaging and activities across the different tourism sectors.
WTTC and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have engaged in a study on the impact of visa facilitation on job creation across the G20 countries, which will provide the data needed to press the arguments for action.
This will be presented at the meeting of tourism ministers of the G20 (Merida, Mexico) in May, and aims to provide input into the G20 world leaders meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, in June as they look for alternatives to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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