Berlin, Germany — In her address to esteemed guests during the opening ceremony of ITB Berlin, Julia Simpson, President & CEO of WTTC, expressed, “Last year, from this very stage, I declared that travel is back. Now, merely 12 months later, it’s not just back; it’s booming.
“Comparing to last year, we are already witnessing double-digit growth in visitor numbers from key source markets such as the UK, Spain, and Greece. Beyond, our data indicates a significant increase in travelers from the U.S. visiting Germany this year compared to the previous year.”
Simpson highlighted substantial increases in international arrivals across Europe, with arrivals into Greece and Portugal showing an impressive year-on-year surge of more than 20%. Spain, ranking as the second most popular destination globally, is poised for a remarkable year with arrivals already up by 13%.
She emphasized, “2024 is poised to be not just a robust year for tourism in Germany but for Europe and the world.”
The forecast for Travel & Tourism indicates a contribution of 9.2% to global GDP in 2023, totaling $9.5 trillion, employing 320 million people, accounting for one in 11 jobs worldwide. The sector’s significant contribution to the global economy is projected to further increase.
“By 2033, over one in nine jobs worldwide will be in this sector. In just nine years, we are set to account for 11.6% of global GDP. Over the coming decade, Travel & Tourism will grow at double the rate of the wider economy.
“Travel serves as a powerful catalyst for global development. However, economics alone cannot capture the value of Travel & Tourism. It is a force for good in many profound yet challenging-to-quantify ways. Amidst political polarization, it brings people to common ground. In the face of ecological challenges, it imparts the sanctity and majesty of the natural world.”
Concluding her speech, Simpson remarked, “Yet, just as travel is best undertaken with open eyes and minds, we must be open-eyed about the challenges we face. WTTC data reveals that our sector accounted for 8.1% of global emissions in 2019. This underscores the significance of our sector’s efforts towards more sustainable fuels like SAF, biodiesel, and alternative marine fuels.
“As a sector, we must embrace future technologies, particularly the AI revolution, which will have a more profound impact on Travel & Tourism than any technological development since the invention of the World Wide Web.”