NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK
sector. So we need an agenda to work with him. We don’t have a conflict over [US border] security as long as it goes with travel facilitation. “It’s a matter of working with
his government.” Former UK prime minister
David Cameron told the WTTC Summit in Bangkok in May: “Your industry needs to understand the pressure on governments to deal with immigration. Don’t underestimate the concerns voters have.” Guevara insisted: “We
get it. I was in government. My agenda in government was to increase travel while maintaining security. There is a balance and we want to maintain that balance. There is no government that does not want to create jobs, that does not want security, and there is no one in the private sector who does not want the same.” She added: “The WTTC
has done a wonderful job of communicating the importance of travel and tourism. My goal is to take the WTTC to the next level. I know how governments think. I know how the private sector thinks. My job is to get both working together. “It’s every government’s
priority to create jobs, but they don’t create the jobs. “The private sector mainly
creates jobs and needs government to be a facilitator and not a roadblock.” Guevara pledged: “We will be
working on several initiatives that we’ll publish soon to allow us to facilitate travel while facilitating security. “I would like a specific
agenda for each region.” Guevara noted: “When I was
in government in Mexico in 2012 we implemented very specific initiatives. For example, we started accepting US visas as valid [for international visitors].”
US arrivals drop despite 6% global tourism upturn
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
The US suffered a fall in visitor numbers in the first half of this year despite international tourism arrivals across the world rising 6% on 2016.
The UN World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) reported a global surge in international visitors in the six months to June, declaring first-half growth the strongest since 2010 and well above the long-term annual growth rate of 4% in global tourism. The UNWTO reported the
strongest growth in the Middle East (9%), Europe (8%) and Africa (8%), with arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region up 6% year on year and the Americas up 3%. UNWTO secretary-general
Taleb Rifai said: “The first half of 2017 shows healthy growth in an increasingly dynamic and resilient tourism market, including a strong recovery in some of the destinations impacted by security challenges last year.” Mediterranean destinations saw
Hospitality chief: EU worker plan is ‘catastrophic’
Leaked Brexit immigration proposals to limit the time ‘low-skilled’ EU migrants would be allowed to work in the UK to two years would be “catastrophic” for the hospitality sector. The British Hospitality Association warned such a policy was “discriminatory” and would lead to companies collapsing. ‘Skilled workers’ would be allowed to stay for three to five
86
travelweekly.co.uk 14 September 2017 NEW YORK: The US welcomed fewer visitors in the first six months of year 16%
Rise in arrivals to North Africa in first half 2017
“particularly strong growth”, the UNWTO reported, with visitors to southern and Mediterranean Europe up 12% year on year, arrivals to North Africa up 16% and to the Middle East up 9%. The UNWTO, which held its
General Assembly in Chengdu, China, this week, reported “a
years, according to Home Office proposals. Free movement will end when
the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 and an implementation period of at least two years will begin. BHA chief executive Ufi
Ibrahim said: “If these proposals are implemented, it could be catastrophic for the UK hospitality industry, whether it be in restaurants, theatres, hotels, bars or tourist attractions.” The BHA says its research shows
that at least 60,000 new EU service workers are needed each year to fill hospitality vacancies and that it would take 10 years to encourage
IBRAHIM: Warns proposal would hit theatres, hotels and attractions
enough UK people to consider careers in hospitality. It shows 75% of waiters, 25%
of chefs and 37% of housekeepers are EU nationals.
significant rebound” to Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, all of which suffered drops in previous years. Arrival numbers were also up
8% in northern Europe, 6% in western Europe and 4% in central and eastern Europe. South Asia led growth in Asia and the Pacific with a 12% increase in arrivals, followed by Oceania (8%) and southeast Asia (7%). But arrivals to North America
were up just 2% despite the UNWTO recording “robust results for Mexico and Canada”, following a fall in US arrivals, according to preliminary figures.
PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
