WTTC: Governments of the world, take tourism seriously

30-11-22

Governments around the world need to take policies that promote tourism seriously, as it is an industry that generates jobs, says Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The world tourism organisation estimates that the industry will register an annual growth rate of 5.8% over the next decade, while exceeding estimates for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, which is around 2.7%, explains the executive during her participation in the opening ceremony of the 22nd edition of the WTTC Global Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In this sense, Simpson maintains that tourism allows boosting the economies of the world through the creation of new jobs. According to the latest economic impact studies, she says, 126 million jobs will be created over the next 10 years.

And this becomes relevant if we take into account that the world has registered historic levels of inflation, a phenomenon to which Mexico has been no stranger.

In the first two weeks of November, the country recorded an increase in product prices of 8.14% in annualised terms, according to the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. A rate that is far from the Bank of Mexico's ideal target, which is in the range of 3%.

On the other hand, Julia Simpson also urged the world to continue actions to have a more sustainable industry in the face of climate change and the environmental challenges faced by some regions of the world.

The total carbon dioxide emissions per dollar in travel and tourism in relation to global GDP was 0.49 dollars, while in 2010 it was 0.63 dollars, which shows a reduction, according to data presented by WTTC.