“A major step forward for American Travel & Tourism”: World Travel and Toursim Conference responds to yesterday’s US Executive Order.

New York

“President Obama should be congratulated for signing today’s (19th January) Executive Order and announcing a suite of initiatives to significantly increase Travel & Tourism in the United States. It is a major step forward for the world’s biggest Travel & Tourism economy.” That is the reaction of David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to yesterday’s news.

In total, the industry contributes $1.3 trillion to the GDP of the United States and is responsible for sustaining jobs for almost 15 million people. In total it is 9% of the US economy.

The announcement should play a major part in driving growth of the US economy at a critical time.

Figures from the travel industry and Bureau of Economic Analysis show that ‘long-haul’ travellers spend on average $4,000 on each visit. It is no surprise that the US Administration is taking much-needed steps to expand the visa waiver programme; reduce the time taken to wait for an interview and increase the capacity to process visas in China and Brazil by 40% during this year.

David Scowsill continued: “Today’s announcement is the result of a long dialogue between the industry and the Administration, which included the participation of Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, at the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit in Las Vegas in 2011. It shows that President Obama really gets it; he understands the economic and social value of Travel & Tourism. The President should be congratulated for taking a bold and important step. “

“I would urge other countries to look at the steps they can take to expand their own Travel & Tourism industries. Access to countries remains probably the biggest single challenge affecting the industry. For this reason, it will form a major part of the discussions at WTTC’s first Regional Summit to be held in Riviera Maya, Mexico, 16-18 May 2012 and hosted by President Felipe Calderon.”

About WTTC
The World Travel & Tourism Council is the global authority on the economic and social contribution of Travel & Tourism. It promotes sustainable growth for the industry, working with governments and international institutions to create jobs, to drive exports and to generate prosperity.