AirAsia silver sponsor for WTTC Global Summit 2017
AirAsia silver sponsor for WTTC Global Summit 2017
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)’s 17th Global Summit, the flagship global private sector event of 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, was held in Thailand recently with AirAsia acting as silver sponsor.
WTTC’s annual Global Summit brought together over 900 delegates in Bangkok from April 26 - 27 under the theme ‘Transforming our World’ to discuss opportunities, challenges and issues facing the industry, while its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards recognised the industry’s power to be a positive force in sustainability.
The summit featured keynote speakers from tourism and travel who addressed major topical issues.
For instance, Asean travel freedom was a matter of interest to many international travellers, including regional airlines.
Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) of AirAsia, Mr Tony Fernandes, said “There is a long way to go towards realising the full opening of the Asean skies, and many governments are reluctant to join in expanding their skies.”
“We believe there will be positive moves in the near future and are very optimistic about an Asean going in the right direction on the path of tourism development, linking the region as well as with the rest of the world,” he said.
AirAsia is Asia’s largest low-cost airline, contributing greatly to the transport of tourists in the Asean region.
“It will not only expand connectivity to major cities or capitals, but will also open new routes to smaller cities and new destinations in each country to increase connectivity in that area. At the same time, the company is still trying to apply new technology to reduce ticket prices for passengers,” Mr Fernandes added.
Every year WTTC, together with Oxford Economics, produces its flagship Economic Impact Report, which looks at the socio-economic benefits of travel and tourism on the global, regional and country level. This year the report presented data on 25 regional groupings and 185 countries.
Travel and tourism is a key driver for investment and economic growth globally. The sector contributes US$7.6 trillion or 10.2 percent of global GDP, once all direct, indirect and induced impacts are taken into account. The sector also accounts for 292 million jobs or one in ten of all jobs on the planet.
WTTC’s President and CEO, Mr David Scowsill, said Thailand was one of the world’s top tourism destinations, noting the country had registered another year of strong travel and tourism sector growth.
Meanwhile, Interpol’s expert at the 2017 Global Travel & Tourism Conference, Mr Hyuk Lee, said “Instead of closing the door, countries must find ways to work more closely, to share information among themselves. And even between the government and the private sector.”
The WTTC is the global authority on the economic and social contribution of travel and tourism. It promotes sustainable growth for the sector, working with governments and international institutions to create jobs, to drive exports and to generate prosperity.
