The global travel and tourism sector is making a robust comeback, bouncing back to the pre-pandemic vigour of 2019.
This was revealed World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) President and CEO Julia Simpson at the WTTC’s 23rd Global Summit which kicked off in Kigali, Rwanda, yesterday (Wednesday, November 1).
The latest data from WTTC and its partner Oxford Economics shows that global travel is surging back, with all regions recovering faster than previously expected, with Asia-Pacific leading the way.
“Our latest data highlights our sector’s enduring appeal and resilience and is recovering faster than anticipated,” said Simpson.
“This trend underlines the longstanding consumer appetite for travel and, despite China's full recovery potential yet to be realised, the global sector’s performance is exceeding expectations.”
Latest sector sustainability figures
WTTC recently launched the latest industry-shaping Environmental Impact Research data (ESR), in partnership with the Sustainable Tourism Global Centre (STGC), part of the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia.
Last year, during the WTTC Global Summit in Riyadh, the two organisations launched the collaboration and unveiled the inaugural results including the sector’s accurate greenhouse gas emissions for the first time ever.
This represents the most comprehensive environmental data in the history of the sector, including its energy, and water use footprint.
“The results not only tell the sector’s direct impact, but also its supply chain impacts, both within national borders and those that are embedded in international supply chains,” explained Simpson.
According to the data, the travel and tourism sector was responsible for 8.1% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, 10.6% of total global energy and 0.9% of freshwater use.
The ESR data covers 185 countries across all regions and will be updated each year with the latest figures.
Building upon WTTC’s world-renowned Economic Impact Research, this initiative introduces individualised factsheets for each country and major global regions, and a dedicated microsite allowing users to explore the data in detail.
WTTC members, international media, and government representatives from over 45 countries are attending the event in Kigali.
