The World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit has been launched in Perth, Western Australia with economic growth, aviation opportunities, tourism investment, cultural events, environmental impacts, greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable fuels, tax revenues, renewable energy, global connectivity set to be discussed.
Add to that Western Australia tourism, direct Perth flights and Aboriginal tourism and it makes for a packed agenda.
“We stand on the verge of a record-breaking year in 2024,” WTTC senior vice president and MC Virgina Messina told a packed press conference before she introduced WTTC president and CEO, Julia Simpson and WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Rita Saffioti.
“Australia’s travel and tourism sector is set to reach record breaking numbers, poised to surpass its previous peak, with a projected economic contribution of more than 265 billion Australian dollars, according to our WTTC data, which represents about 10% of the Australian economy, it is also set to support 1.6 million jobs, representing nearly 11 per cent of the country’s workforce,” Messina said. “Travel and tourism is not just recovering. It’s thriving.”
The WTTC is being held at Crown Resort, Perth.
Global travel and tourism in GDP terms, is set to surpass the pre pandemic levels of 2019 and reach a record of over $US11 trillion, representing 10 per cent of the global economy, with travel and tourism supporting 348 million jobs worldwide.
Minister Saffioti, who is also WA Treasurer and Minister for Transport, said the state was “very, very proud to support this renowned event and leverage this once in a lifetime platform”.
“It’s a massive global stage for Western Australia as our opportunity to showcase our state, also to help highlight our economic prosperity and the significant investment and aviation opportunities that are on offer,” she said.
Acknowledging that WA had built its wealth on mining and resources, the Minister said it was time to diversify.
“We are a state that’s built on rich on resources, but we have a definite plan to support and grow our tourism industry, understanding that diversification of our economy, the support of tourism in our state, is fundamental to new jobs and opportunities for our economy,” she said.
Direction aviation links, including Qantas recently announcing it having its second biggest nationwide presence in Australia – after Sydney – and the building of events would also be key to growth as would global investment in WA tourism.
“We are an isolated city, and that’s why we rely so much on our aviation strategy,” she said.
The Ningaloo area and its whale sharks, the Kimberley, the Margaret River region the emerging Swan Valley wine growing regions, 20 minutes from the city, are just of the few areas that will be showcased during the Global Summit.
As for events, UFC and wrestlings’ WWE plus a series of Coldplay concerts, AC Milan and Roma were recent events. And rather than seeing its location as a disadvantage, Saffioti said the sate
“Another key point of our strategy, of course, is to support and grow our Aboriginal tourism strategy as well,” she said.
“We know that tourists from around the world want to be able to experience our original culture, our indigenous culture, and so we’ve got a dedicated plan to support tourism experiences across the state. We continue to work to invest in accommodation, in experiences, to make sure Western Australia can continue to support new Indigenous and Aboriginal tourism.”
EverNow: A Festival During Kambarang’ in Kings Park last night.
Case in point is this week’s ‘Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak at EverNow: A Festival During Kambarang’ in Kings Park.
WTTC president and CEO, Julia Simpson said several important announcements, including two reports. The first will focus on Oceania and “how to unlock its full potential”, by looking at the islands, together with Australia and New Zealand, plus the first ever indigenous report and analysis that WTTC has published.
WTTC will also be launching ‘Together in Travel’.
“This is the WTTC initiative focusing on creating accessible content for SMEs (small to medium enterprise) on a global level,” Simpson said.
“Nobody knows exactly what percentage SMEs make up of our sector, but some people have said it can be as much as 80 per cent and they are our kind of lifeblood and our green shoots for the whole sector. So we will be launching here a new platform for them.”
Also on the agenda will be Dragons’ Den/ Shark Tank-style opportunity to pitch an idea to investors
“Investors Nest is going to see university students from around the world, including a really talented team from here, from Perth, to pitch their ideas for sustainable tourism to a very astute and hawkish group of investors,” she said.
Also on the agenda global greenhouse emissions, with new information to be revealed later during thew Global summit.
“In 2023 global greenhouse gas emissions from Travel and Tourism totaled 3.5 billion tons of CO two, which accounts for 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, we’re pleased that emissions are now 12% below pre pandemic levels,” she said.
As for the Middle East, “the reality is, airlines have to work around wars. They always have had to,” said Simpson.
When it comes to trends, topics for discussion are the increasing number of 65-year-old women who are travelling, plus multi-generational trips will also be a topic on the agenda.
The growth of social media as a force behind popular tourist destinations is also under the spotlight, with destinations have to respond rapidly to trends such as that recently experienced by Angkor Wat in Cambodia where visitors copied a ‘Temple Run in real life’ and posted on social media.
The conference runs until Thursday.
Feature image: WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Rita Saffioti with WTTC president and CEO, Julia Simpson at the opening press conference. All photos: Grant Jones
