Different from COVID-19 times, travel organization heads claiming to lead this industry have been mostly quiet about this crisis and calls for humanity in Gaza, except for the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), and the newly founded World Tourism Network did not happen.
UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization was busy rebranding into UN Tourism, and managed to kick out Russia, but kept quiet on what more and more countries see as genocide in Gaza.
It appears the priority for this UN-affiliated agency is to maintain and increase cooperation with selected countries, including those with a terrible human rights record. It became all about potential votes for its Secretary-General to stay in power for a third term.
Spain or Germany among other European countries saw through this, so UN Tourism focus is now elsewhere, including Iran and Cuba.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) often says they run the private travel industry in the world. In reality, it has become another global organization where the CEO is not missing a photo opportunity or award, where the international team employed at their London office is almost all British, and where money always talks.
Similar to what may have convinced Marcelo Risi, the person in charge of communication in the UNWTO to quit his job, communication with WTTC has become an issue for many journalists ready to ask some tough questions.
Advocacy
Virginia Messina, the SVP of Advocacy & Communication for WTTC managed to outsource advocacy altogether.
When WTTC was founded it was seen as a global organization representing the largest travel and tourism companies in the world with one goal – to advocate for them.
The most effective project was in 2017 when former UNWTO Secretary-General Dr. Taleb Rifai and WTTC President and CEO David Scowsill personally presented their open letter to many heads of state. It demonstrated the public and private sector work as one. Many said WTTC and UNWTO were operating like twins.
Expensive research is now the main activity of WTTC, and all advocacy campaigns are no longer done directly. They are outsourced.
At the same time, WTTC CEO Julia Simpson similar to her UN Tourism Colleague Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili is taking photo opportunities when shaking hands with tourism ministers or heads of state, followed by nice social media posts.
Putting up a stand on sensitive issues is not on the agenda by both leaders. (UN Tourism and WTTC)
When in Brussels in February WTTC forgot to invite the European Travel Commission or ETOA to the table. According to eTN sources ETC Executive Director Eduardo Santander was furious to be left out.
The European Travel Commission became a member of the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Executive Committee in 2019. ETC is essential in advocating issues relevant to European tourism within governments and industry leaders.
SKAL is all about doing business with friends. In reality, this has become a similar perk on a higher CEO level for WTTC members.
About WTTC
WTTC promotes sustainable growth for the Travel & Tourism sector, working with governments and international institutions to create jobs, drive exports, and generate prosperity. Council Members are the Chairs, Presidents, and Chief Executives of the world’s leading private-sector Travel & Tourism businesses.
Delegates who attended the 23rd World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in the Rwandan capital of Kigali called for collaborative and concerted efforts to promote sustainable travel and the tourism industry in Africa to advance economic growth and create employment opportunities.
These are good calls, but the HOW and WHO are often missing
Here is the Call to Action for the Next European Political Cycle. Time will show how travel and tourism organizations, such as WTTC can play a meaningful role in implementation, and how other organizations can coordinate and participate in this effort.
SOURCE: WTTC, UN Tourism: Are They Still Leading World Tourism? BY: eTurboNews | eTN