World Tourism Organization (WTO) has ventured spectacular growth with revenues of 1,600 million in 2020. It seems like a good moment for reviewing the main points about the future of this sector.
Over the past week both mainstream and specialized media (the Economist, Expansion, Hosteltur, etc) have been bombing with new estimates for Tourism sector, which seems to surmount, and does so through hopeful estimations in short term for 2011 and long-term vision for 2020. Also, it has been celebrating the World Travel Market in London and I think is a good moment for us to review the main points about the future of this sector.
In figures, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) has ventured spectacular growth with revenues of 1,600 million in 2020, almost doubling the current volume. According to World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) CEO, Claude Baumgarten, over the next ten years, the board forecasts a sector growth of 4.3% per year, which means that its contribution to global economic growth will exceed 10%. This will help create 66 million additional jobs by 2020, 50 million of them in Asia.
"These results reinforce the message that we have been insisting since the outbreak of the global crisis in late 2008, tourism is one of the most dynamic economic sectors and a key engine for much needed growth and creation of new jobs", said Taleb Rifai, WTO’s general secretary. "Tourism has been severely beaten by the global crisis, but less than other exporting sectors, and is currently recovering more quickly and more forcefully".
Europe will keep for the moment its undisputed global leadership. In 2020, will remain being the region with the highest number of international tourists, 717 million, giving it a global market share of 46%, according to the provisions of the WTO. In this sense, the so-called Old Continent still remains far ahead from emerging East Asia-Pacific (397 million passengers), and the Americas (282 million).
Spanish Case
The WTTC states that in Spain, tourism industry will not experience “real” growth until 2012.
The WTTC estimations are aligned with those already made by the Spanish Government last Friday pointing a 2% tourism growth for the whole 2010, posting positive figures for the first time since 2007. Spanish tourism administration bases these statements in the success of the summer season, which resulted in an increase of 4.2% in the volume of international arrivals and 4.3% in tourism revenues.
The Councilor of Tourism, Luciano Alonso, said in the first day of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London and in the fifth day of the promotion of Andalusia in Irish and English markets, that will be next year’s summer when it becomes clear the actual recovery of UK’s tourism. "This country is a key tourism ally. It is not valid to lay our guard down neither when the data is good nor when they experience declines" he said.
In our country, companies like C4T Business and Tourism Consultancy www.c4tourism.com of which I am partner, are carrying out innovative proposals to offer destinations with the addition of sustainability.
In the past edition of MEDITOUR (Mediterranean Tourism Forum) Managing Partner Xavier Vives had the opportunity to present the project that C4T has done in Guadix, Granada, called Wadi Ash and considered a "Best Practice" in cultural tourism for its innovative character and because represents a new model of a mayor sustainable tourism development based on the actual ability to deliver enjoyment in a complete leisure experience, an authentic model of how to carry out new tourism and leisure development projects in a newly created situation.
In short this is a scenario that leaves behind the recession, and emphasizes the market globalization in which tourism investment seems to be a safe bet, according to new patterns of development, one of which would be-again- boosting Spanish brand as a claim for quality, natural resources and diversified offer.
Ramon Hermosilla Gómez Cuétara
Associate - C4T
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