Spain Set to Host Exceltur Tourism Forum

The 5th Exceltur Tourism Leadership Forum, set for Madrid on Jan. 19, will bring ministers from nine major tourism generating and receiving countries, government officials, the heads of the two principal worldwide tourism organizations, and the presidents and/or CEOs of eight of the biggest tourism groups and companies in the world to participate as speakers, along with prominent Spanish businessmen of the sector, leading figures in finance and renowned economists.

Co-organized by Exceltur and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the collaboration of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the Forum will discuss the effects of the current crisis and the keys to economic recovery at the global, European and Spanish levels. The Forum will be held at the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai underlined that tourism is a key factor for job creation and that it mobilizes investment, galvanizes trade and builds bridges between cultures. He provided advance figures for 2009 showing declines in both tourist arrivals and receipts (-8 percent worldwide and -11 percent in Europe).

However, he said that for 2010 –with the caveat that the outlook naturally varies from region to region and from country to country- green shoots are expected to be seen in Asia with flat growth forecast for Europe. Nevertheless, he pointed out that there are still no employment recovery scenarios at the world level.