Tag Archives: travel and tourism

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Microsoft’s new report highlight the transformative power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Travel & Tourism, marking a commitment to a digital future with unparalleled customer experiences. The first in a series of AI reports, announced during the global tourism body’s event at FITUR and in collaboration with WTTC’s Industry Partner, Microsoft, is poised to redefine Travel & Tourism standards and call on the sector for greater integration of such technologies. As the global leader in Travel & Tourism, WTTC is committed to driving innovation and supporting the sector to embrace AI and other cutting-edge technologies. To promote sustainability and excellent customer experiences, WTTC acknowledges the crucial importance of AI in revolutionising the sector. Throughout the traveller’s journey, WTTC believes AI can play a pivotal role in delivering a tailored and enhanced experience now and in the future. This technology can empower personalised recommendations and marketing strategies by analysing traveller data, optimising pricing strategies through real-time adjustments, and offering instant responses and fine-tuned interactions via sophisticated AI powered chatbots. The report also highlights AI’s capabilities extend to predicting future demand patterns, efficiently allocating resources, and providing valuable insights for governments and Travel & Tourism stakeholders. This contribution can be pivotal in promoting sustainability with efficient resource management by monitoring and minimising environmental impacts, ensuring a more responsible and sustainable sector. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of Travel & Tourism, AI emerges as a catalyst for positive change. The transformative capabilities highlighted in this report demonstrate that AI is not just a technological advancement, it is a strategic tool that can personalise the customer experience, drive sustainable improvements, and create …

H.E Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to play a major role in investing in the talent required to meet the needs of this thriving sector. This is strategically aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 goals in relation to youth empowerment and women. As an illustration, we have increased female labour force participation by 64% since 2021. Providing insights and data on the sector’s status quo, the report allows countries and regions to set clear goals to empower women and engage youth. ” According to the latest research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC), initiated by the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, reveals that the global Travel & Tourism sector is delivering soaring employment opportunities to women and young people around the world. The report shows that the Travel & Tourism sector directly employed a rapidly rising number of women between 2010 and 2019, increasing from 38.6 million to 47.8 million, an increase of 24%. It also found hospitality to be the leading employer of women within the sector, accounting for more than half of female employment. Young workers are shown as an important component of the sector’s workforce, representing 15% of all jobs in the sector in both 2010 and 2021. By contrast, the share of young workers in overall global employment fell from 16.5% in 2010 to 12.5% in 2021, highlighting the importance of Travel & Tourism to youth employment. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “As part of our Environmental & Social Research, we are incredibly proud to have worked alongside the Sustainable Tourism Global Center and to be releasing this incredibly …

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR) at the 22nd Global Summit in Riyadh sponsored by Visa, the report shows cities remain the powerhouses of global tourism and will drive the recovery of the sector and economies around the world. The Cities EIR analyses 82 international city destinations and shows that prior to the pandemic major cities were popular travel destinations, accounting for almost half of all international visits, both as standalone destinations and as gateways to other tourism hotspots within countries. COVID-19 had a devastating impact on Travel & Tourism and in particular major cities around the world as countries closed their borders in response to the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, and as borders began to reopen, leisure travellers swapped major metropolises for less-populated destinations such as coastal and rural hotspots, leaving economies of international cities to battle through an incredibly tough three years. Thousands of hotels, restaurants, and attractions in cities around the world were forced to close, with hard working people losing their jobs as businesses struggled to stay open during these challenging times. The Cities EIR shows how both leisure and business travellers are flocking back to cities, as their draw as iconic destinations are once again becoming the beating hearts of international tourism destinations, and business centres for overseas visitors. According to the report ten of the 82 cities analysed are projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in terms of direct Travel & Tourism GDP contribution to the city economies this year. Qatar’s capital Doha is forecast to see the largest increase from 2019 to 2022, in terms of international traveller spend as well as in direct Travel & …