Tag Archives: World Travel & Tourism Council

India is ranked as the world’s third most powerful country for travel and tourism, according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) new T&T Power and Performance Report. China, the USA and India take the top three spots in the new Power Ranking which ranks the performance of 185 countries combining growth over the past seven years in tourism’s contribution to GDP, international visitor spend, domestic tourism spend and capital investment. Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, WTTC commented, “World Tourism Day is the global celebration of a sector that contributes 10.4 per cent of the world’s GDP and generates 313 million jobs. WTTC’s new report outlines power and performance rankings which showcase countries that have been most successful in growing their tourism sectors across the board.”

The GDP in Delhi in terms of travel and tourism is set to experience double-digit growth over each of the next 10 years (10.8%), according to a recent report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Its share of overall city GDP will remain relatively unchanged from the current 3.6 per cent as other industry sectors also gain prominence. The sector’s share of Delhi’s employment is also set to remain steady at 8.3 per cent over the years to 2026. The Capital generated US$3.2 billion from travel and tourism in 2016, just over one third coming from international visitors. Delhi has much less source market dominance than in other Asian Pacific cities, however, with the largest market, the US, contributing just 11% of inbound traffic.

India’s tourism sector attracted capital investments of US$ 47.8 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ 95.3 billion by 2028,  according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Economic Impact 2018 report. International hotel chains are increasing their presence in the country, as it will account for around 47 per cent share in the tourism and hospitality sector of India by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2022, increasing from 44 per cent in 2016. Berggruen Hotels is planning to add around 20 properties under its mid-market segment ‘Keys Hotels’ brand across India by this year. Hilton plans to add 18 hotels pan India by 2021, along with 15 operational hotels under its brands namely, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Conrad, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton. Marriott International also plans to add 20 more properties to its existing portfolio of 98 hotels in India.

Domestic expenditure reached Rs 12.11 trillion (US$ 186.03 billion) in 2017 and is expected to reach Rs 26.43 trillion (US$ 405.84 billion), implying a compounded annual growth rate of 7.29 per cent between 2012-28, according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Economic Impact 2018 report. Domestic expenditure on tourism is expected to rise due to the growing income of households. A number of niche offerings such as medical tourism and ecotourism are expected to create more demand.

India ranked eighth in the world in 2017 in terms of absolute direct contribution of travel and tourism sector’s to its GDP, according to World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC’s) Economic Impact 2018 report. It is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country. The tourism and hospitality sector’s direct contribution to GDP in 2017 was Rs 5.94 trillion (US$ 91.27 billion). This is expected to reach Rs 12.68 trillion (US$ 194.69 billion) in 2028, implying a CAGR of 7.23 per cent during 2012-28.

According to a latest report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) on the economic impact of travel and tourism industry in India, leisure travel spending (inbound and domestic) generated 94.6 per cent of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2017 (Rs 13,135.2 bn) compared with 5.4 per cent for business travel spending (Rs 755.9 bn). Leisure travel spending is expected to grow by 7.6 per cent in 2018 to Rs 14,127.1 bn, and rise by 7.1 per cent pa to Rs 28,154.5 bn in 2028. Business travel spending is expected to grow by 6.7 per cent in 2018 to Rs 806.4 bn, and rise by 7.0 per cent pa to Rs 1,589.7 bn in 2028. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said, “2017 was one of the strongest years of GDP growth in a decade with robust consumer spending worldwide. This global growth transferred again into travel and tourism with the sector’s direct growth of 4.6 per cent outpacing the global economy for the seventh successive year.”

India will add around 10 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector by 2028, according to a latest report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). WTTC forecasts that the total number of jobs related to tourism will increase from 42.9 million in 2018 to 52.3 million in 2028. India is currently the seventh largest travel and tourism economy in the world. Overall, the total contribution of the sector to the economy was Rs 15.2 trillion (US$234 billion) in 2017, or 9.4 per cent of the economy once its direct, indirect and induced benefits are taken in to account. Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said, “Travel and tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies. This is particularly clear in India which is forecast to be one of the fastest-growing tourism economies in the world over the next decade, adding 10 million jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy by 2028.” “Looking to the future, India can strategically lead travel facilitation within the SAARC region by introducing a standard technological solution, modern technology and biometrics. This will enhance the travel and tourism economies in the region. The Indian aviation market is expanding with rapid advancement in connectivity within India. Indian airlines have booked 900 plus new aircrafts to add capacity and expand operations over next couple of years,” Guevara shared.

The Annual General Meeting of the World Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) held at New Delhi on December 12 saw new appointments for the year 2018. Sunder G. Advani, Chairman & Managing Director, Advani Hotels & Resorts (India) Limited has been appointed as board’s Chairman while Rajeev Talwar, Chief Executive Officer, DLF has been named as the Vice Chairman of WTTCII. Advani said, “As WTTCII members facilitate the movement of millions of people around India every year,  we see the growth of tourism in generating economic opportunity, social cohesion and pride. While GST has been a welcome move, we urge the government to reconsider the GST on hospitality and bring it at par with India’s competing destinations like Sri Lanka, Thailand, etc.” Talwar said, “WTTCII has been championing convergence between Government of India and states to facilitate tourism in India. Our role will be to encourage the state governments – the political leadership and bureaucracy – to take a more favourable stance towards the tourism sector. We will continue to work with the states to improve access, address infrastructural gaps and remove policy bottlenecks for tourism to flourish, and most importantly create jobs, employment and provide a vigorous boost to tourism’s contribution to the state’s GDP.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the appointment of Gloria Guevara Manzo as its new President and CEO. She served as Secretary of Tourism for Mexico and CEO of the Mexican Tourism Board from 2010 to 2012, minister in the cabinet of President Calderón. Prior to that, she worked for global distribution system Sabre where most recently she was CEO of Sabre Mexico, reporting to the board of directors of a joint venture between Aeroméxico, Mexicana and Sabre Holdings. She is currently Special Advisor on Government Affairs for the Centre on Health and the Global Environment at the School of Public Health, Harvard. Announcing Guevara’s appointment, Gerald Lawless, WTTC Chairman, said “Gloria is a proven leader who is well known and well respected within the global Travel & Tourism sector. I am delighted that she will lead WTTC into the next phase of its development. She was chosen from a competitive field of international candidates. With a career encompassing senior roles across private sector, government and academia, she brings a unique combination of experience and expertise.”

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announces the departure of David Scowsill, President & CEO, after six years at the helm of the organisation. During his tenure as the third President in the 26 year history of WTTC, he has taken the organisation to new heights, championing the private sector views in high level governmental discussions and promoting the sustainable growth of travel and tourism. “It has been a privilege to lead WTTC, representing the global interests of the private sector of Travel & Tourism, through advocacy with governments around the world. The membership of the organisation has doubled in the last period, but more significant has been the work with governments at all levels on the key strategic issues for the sector,” said Scowsill. “By making this announcement now, the Executive Committee has time to identify a successor and to work through a smooth transition in leadership. Working with a very talented team, we have consolidated the position of WTTC as the authority in the sector, whether through research, advocacy, or the impact of the Global Summits. I now look forward to focussing on new opportunities, knowing that I am leaving WTTC in great shape.” David Scowsill has been President & CEO of WTTC since October 2010. Amongst the highlights of his time, the public/private partnership with UNWTO has produced 84 meetings with Presidents and Prime Ministers, where messages about the importance of the sector have been directed to these key leaders. As founder and Chairman of The Global Travel Association Coalition, he ensured that the travel industry spoke to governments with One Voice on the key issues – from travel facilitation and terrorism, to infrastructure development and environmental …