PATA, WTTC join forces with APEC in ground-breaking study to create new business opportunities

Travel and tourism is widely recognised as a major engine for future economic growth within the economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping. In 2010, the APEC economies collectively attracted over 40% of total international arrivals worldwide and generated more than 40% of world visitor exports.

The latest research from WTTC, carried out in collaboration with Oxford Economics, suggests that the APEC region’s visitor exports will increase by four to five per cent per annum over the next 10 years, rising to US$750-billion by 2021, or a four per cent share of APEC’s total exports.

Travel and tourism contributes close to three per cent of APEC’s GDP, or a projected US$990-billion in 2011, as well as supporting 45-million jobs – three per cent of total employment. And if the indirect and induced impacts of travel and tourism are factored into the calculations, the total contribution is almost three times greater. Moreover, both the direct and total contributions of travel and tourism to GDP and employment are forecast to rise strongly over the coming decade.

“While this is good reason for optimism, it will be critical to make every effort going forward to ensure that the potential is fully tapped,” said Helen Marano, director, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, US Department of Commerce. As Lead Shepherd of the APEC Tourism Working Group (TWG), Marano was speaking to delegates at the TWG’s 38th meeting, organised by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism on the picturesque island of Cebu in early May.

“The political, economic and operating environments must all be conducive to growth, so that travel and tourism can stimulate and facilitate private sector enterprise and investment, stimulate exports and foreign exchange, generate new jobs, and create new business opportunities,” Marano added. “And this is something we can only achieve in partnership with the private sector.”

A proliferation of taxes and other surcharges on travellers, visa restrictions, ill-thought out environmental and other legislation, inadequate infrastructure and transport access, as well as constraints on workforce mobility, capital flows and access to capital – these are some of the many barriers to the projected growth in tourism demand, which could in turn impact on APEC’s economic performance and the livelihoods and well-being of its citizens.    

Recognising that the only way of overcoming these obstacles is to establish a true dialogue between the public and private sectors, APEC has approved groundbreaking research to be conducted in partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

With the aim of achieving concrete outcomes, aligning closely with APEC’s overall strategic priorities – such as capacity building, regional economic integration, and regulatory co-operation and convergence – the new study, Creating Business Growth Opportunities for Travel and Tourism in the New APEC Economy, will involve consultation with governments, experts and industry leaders, such as members of PATA and WTTC, in order to identify business opportunities to create an enabling environment that will drive sustainable tourism growth. The research will provide concrete, solutions-based recommendations to drive collective action by APEC, as well as to inform individual action plans by APEC member economies.

The findings and recommendations of the study, which will be launched in mid-2011, are due to be presented at a workshop organised in conjunction with the 40th APEC TWG and 7th Tourism Ministers Meeting, scheduled for August 2012 in Russia.