World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) chairman and Dubai Holding head of tourism and hospitality Gerald Lawless highlighted the importance of travel and hospitality in the global economy, and called for continued facilitation of travel.
In conversation with Hotelier Middle East, Lawless said: “The WTTC works very closely with the UNWTO to ensure that we are co-ordinating our activities and perceived needs of the industry, particularly to make governments aware of the value of the travel and tourism to the economy and to society generally.
“The WTTC does a lot of research and we have shown that almost 284 billion jobs worldwide are related directly or indirectly to travel, tourism and hospitality. We estimate that 10% of the global GDP is also attributed to the same industry so we are an important industry. It’s very important that governments continue to facilitate travel in safe and secure manner.”
Lawless spoke to Hotelier during the Middlesex University Dubai graduation ceremony where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University (DUniv) in recognition of his contribution to the hospitality industry, both in the UAE and globally.
Read the full interview in the January 2017 issue of Hotelier Middle East.
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