12/02/2002

(London, UK) The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) applauds the World Tourism Organisation (OMT) on the appointment of Mr Geoffrey Lipman as special adviser to the Secretary-General on Trade in Tourism Services.
The current President of WTTC, Mr Jean-Claude Baumgarten, stated: "We are hopeful that Mr Lipman will continue to champion the principles set out in these reports and speeches and are confident that this will greatly assist OMT to work towards our common goal of liberalised markets."

The travel and tourism industry has the potential to bring economic prosperity to developing as well as developed economies. To fulfil its potential, the industry needs open markets and a liberal trading framework. Both OMT and WTTC forecast strong growth for the international Travel & Tourism industry, and promote the liberalisation of markets to foster this growth.

In July 2001, WTTC withdrew from the OMT's Working Group on Liberalisation because it formed the view that the OMT, an inter-governmental body, had hitherto failed to reflect the characteristics and concerns of the private sector. Mr Lipman's experience as President of WTTC during the first 10 years of the Council's existence will help to address a major gap in this vital area of the OMT's work.

The mission of WTTC is to raise awareness of the importance of travel and tourism and to work with governments to make it an economic and job-creating priority. WTTC encourages Mr Lipman to continue this mission in his new role as adviser to the Secretary-General of the OMT.

Following Mr Baumgarten's appointment as President in 1999, WTTC undertook a major strategic review. This led to the re-affirmation of WTTC's mission and the launch of a new policy framework, Seven Strategic Priorities, for sustainable travel and tourism development. The fourth of these priorities is to encourage free access, open markets, open skies and the removal of barriers to growth.

Background Information:

This mission is exemplified by the many WTTC reports and speeches prepared during Mr Lipman's presidency. Here are just two examples:

Protectionist policies limit growth and inhibit supply. As regional markets develop in Europe, the Americas, and the Asia/Pacific, governments should ensure that integration efforts do not result in limited access or block protectionism. The successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round provides a foundation for eliminating this threat. To this end, the WTTC will support national and regional open market policies, and work for the removal of barriers through the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

WTTC mission and policy statements, AGM 94

The key issues for travel and tourism in relation to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) as we see them are:

Classification - the GATS classification system does not recognise the complexity and diversity of travel and tourism

Trade Barriers - there are a number of trade barriers facing travel and tourism. These include Government restrictions on:

Competition
Market access
Information transfer
Movement of personnel
Financial services and
Administrative and regulatory barriers

Letter dated 29th July 1999 and attachments sent by Mr Lipman to WTTC members