Collaboration will secure travel’s bright future

Julia Simpson, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), emphasises the importance of a coordinated, consistent, and transparent industry approach

The last two years have been incredibly challenging for the global travel and tourism sector. It suffered sizeable losses due to the pandemic, and the different variants that have progressively thwarted the recovery of what was a thriving sector.

The pandemic saw damaging restrictions and chaotic rules that brought havoc to a sector that for the past 10 years, had been outpacing the global economy and contributed almost US$9.2 trillion to the global GDP in 2019.

However, if there is something we have learned during these uncertain times, it is that travel and tourism is an incredibly resilient sector.

After two years of limited international travel, our sector is finally turning the corner.

COVID-19 has showed us the value of cooperation within our industry, and we are now more certain than ever that effective partnerships, including all relevant voices from both the public and the private sector, are crucial for travel and tourism.

Other learnings from this crisis include the need for digital solutions that embed individual health data, such as vaccination status, and change the way we travel, and highlighted the importance of international leadership for a single, global solution, such as that we have seen with Saudi Arabia.

We are seeing more countries reopen as restrictions are relaxed, allowing travellers to rediscover the world. Although there is pent-up demand, COVID-19 has changed the way people travel, and it is our responsibility to match the consumer’s needs and priorities.

Travellers are remembering all the things they love about exploring the world, while also considering how their presence impacts the destinations they visit.

This has caused a shift in consumer habits and trends in the short- and long-term, and some of them are here to stay.

From domestic travel driving the recovery in the short term and younger generations being the first to travel, to increased demand for longer stays, fee-free cancellations, and enhanced health and hygiene measures, consumers have made their preferences clear, through bookings, enquiries, and surveys, and the sector needs to meet them.

Digitalisation of the sector and a simplified and interoperable digital solution are vital to fully achieve the recovery of the travel and tourism sector and the global economy.

With smart digital technologies and public-private sector collaboration, the world can achieve the safe and efficient revival of international travel.

The travel and tourism sector needs a coordinated, consistent, and transparent approach to restore safe international travel and regain the trust of travellers.

Through the determination and dedication of this sector, tourism will once again thrive and be a key driver of social economic growth and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

About

Julia Simpson is the President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global authority on the economic and social contribution of travel and tourism. Prior to joining the WTTC in August 2021, Julia spent 14 years in the aviation sector on the Board of British Airways and Iberia and as Chief of Staff at International Airlines Group. Before joining British Airways, Julia was senior adviser to the UK Prime Minister. She held a number of key positions in the UK government and public sector, including Director at the Home Office and Department for Education and Employment; Assistant Chief Executive at the London Borough of Camden; and head of communications at the Communication Workers Union. Julia is also on the Board of the London Chamber of Commerce.