NEWS TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM THE BACK
It’s a question of trust. Who will handle the data? Who will process it, who secure it? That is the stumbling block.” John Moavenzadeh, head of mobility industries and system initiative at the World Economic Forum (WEF), agreed saying: “The core question is trust. It is one thing to ask ministers of tourism ‘can we move to a global system’ [of border entry]. It is another to ask ministers of security.” He suggested that a “known
traveller digital identity” system “using biometrics and distributed technology” could provide the solution. Moavenzadeh said: “It needs
to be inter-operable so all technology companies can plug into it. We have pilots with the governments of Canada and the Netherlands to see if the technology is scalable.” However, Isabel Hill, director
of the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, suggested the US has already developed the system it believes should become the global standard She told the summit: “We’re
advanced in testing biometric entry and exit, and we have a mandate to create an exit system for the US. In the US [system], your face is your token. You would go from home to boarding and home again never showing a passport and never showing a boarding pass. “We aim to have an exit
system in place in four years for 90% of [US] passengers. We don’t need any other technology developed. We need everyone to co-create this system. The alternative will be to layer this on other systems.” Griffiths said: “The industry should say to governments ‘the industry will fund these changes to get a link with government databases’. That would send a very powerful message to government.”
World Travel & Tourism Council Summit 2018: Global tourism leader
‘Social shifts and inequality are threat to travel growth’
A leading academic warned industry leaders that growing inequality, a “hollowing out of the middle classes” and “a loss of faith in democracy” threatens the growth forecast for tourism.
Manuel Muniz, dean of the IE School of International Relations in Madrid, said: “If you think travel and tourism is immune to these trends, you are fooling yourselves.” Speaking at the World Travel &
Tourism Council global summit, Muniz said: “Structural changes in the economy are hollowing out the middle classes. It will only worsen unless the causes are addressed.” Muniz identified “wage stagnation, growing inequality” and a “major shift in the jobs market” – quoting a study suggesting 47% of jobs are at “high-risk” of being lost to automation – and warned of “political convulsions and the collapse of the liberal order”. He told industry leaders: “Some
of the very optimistic forecasts at this summit will not come to fruition if this is not addressed. Responding to Muniz, Marriott
US travel bosses aghast at social media entry plan
US travel leaders are concerned by a State Department proposal which would see visitors from non-visa waiver countries required to submit social media profiles and details of all travel in the last five years. Roger Dow, president and
chief executive of the US Travel Association, said: “It doesn’t make sense. The bad guys are not going
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travelweekly.co.uk 26 April 2018 MUNIZ: ‘Structural changes are hollowing out the middle classes’
International president and chief executive Arne Sorenson said: “Of course, this worries me. There are very real problems. This industry by itself is not going to turn around inequality, but we can create jobs.” Tui Group chief executive Fritz
Joussen told the summit: “There is rising inequality, but the social market mechanisms in Europe are perhaps better than in the US.” He added: “The tourism sector
has outgrown global GDP every year for 17 years. Even a shock like
to tell you about their social media and the good guys will see it as an inconvenience and go someplace else. We are concerned.” He insisted: “We can have security and welcome people.” Brand USA president and chief
executive Chris Thompson agreed, saying: “There isn’t anything in economic development that does not start with a visit.” Dow said: “We’re pushing hard to
grow trusted-traveller programmes and the visa-waiver programme. The [US] president’s goal is to achieve 3% growth in GDP. You can’t get [that] without tourism.”
DOW: ‘The bad guys won’t tell you about their social media’
Brexit, which caused a devaluation of the pound by 20%, has not led to less travel from the UK. “How much proof do you need
that travel is resilient? Greg O’Hara, founder and managing partner of private equity firm Certares, agreed saying: “We have no data in the travel business to support what Manuel is saying.” Yet Muniz insisted: “The impact of
[President] Trump on inequality is incredibly regressive. I’m concerned about what will come after him.”
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