ASSOCIATIONS

WTTC CALLS FOR US GOVERNMENT ACTION ON TOURISM
4/10/2006
Less than six months after World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Travel & Tourism Summit held in Washington DC., where much of the debate centred on the need for action by the US government to prevent further decline in US inbound tourism, the WTTC and its US members have produced a manifesto calling on the government to recognize the state of the industry and act decisively Over the past 15 years the US national economy has lost an average of US$20 billion a year due to the declining status. According to Travel Industry Association of America calculations, an investment in growth could generate an estimated 8.1 million extra foreign visitors, representing an additional US$13.4 billion contribution to GDP and 153,000 more jobs for every one per cent of world market share regained.
WTTC’s Manifesto for the US Travel & Tourism Industry calls on the government to:
Provide greater recognition of the economic and social importance of travel and tourism; Provide funds to the US Travel & Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB), to achieve its previously outlined strategy; The staging of a nationwide conference with US stakeholders from both government – federal and state – and the private sector under the theme -Reconquer Markets, Regain Confidence – with the aim of developing a three-year agenda with clearly defined objectives geared towards regaining the status of the USA as a major tourism destination; The introduction of new security measures based on biometric technology; and government spending of at least $200 million on an advertising campaign in key markets.