Tourism chiefs urge governments to prioritise sector amid global economic headwinds – The National

Tourism chiefs urge governments to prioritise sector amid global economic headwinds – The National

Travel and tourism executives have urged governments around the world to prioritise the industry — which is forecast to outpace global economic growth and create millions of jobs over the next decade — as geopolitical threats and recession concerns weigh on a “fragile” world economy.

The travel and tourism sector needs to be taken more seriously by governments, which have too often “neglected” the industry, as demonstrated by the “chaotic and shambolic” response to safely reopen international borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, Julia Simpson, president and chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), said on Tuesday.

“The global economy is at a very precarious point: The war in Ukraine is devastating, we face new geopolitical threats, inflation is undoubtedly a serious worry, and while a deep recession might yet be avoided, we have to admit our global economy at the moment is fragile,” Ms Simpson said at the WTTC Global Summit in Riyadh.