Skift Take
It’s another specifying year ahead for the travel industry as recovery begins in some parts of the world– the WTTC’s new leadership has the opportunity to improve how success in travel is measured and to push for a more sustainable market post-recovery.
Lebawit Lily Girma, Skift
On the heels of finishing up its most tough year yet as the world’s leading company for tourism’s private sector– counting over 200 executives and leaders throughout varied sectors as members– the World Travel and Tourist Council (WTTC) is preparing to welcome brand-new leadership.
Julia Simpson, executive committee member of the International Airlines Group, will take over the company as its new CEO on August 15. Simpson joins at a pivotal time for the travel industry when tourist will have rebooted by this summertime however with ongoing unpredictability in numerous parts of the world where limitations continue as the pandemic drags out and vaccines continue to lag.
“The Travel & Tourist sector has shown genuine leadership in ‘reopening’ the world safely and safely; and I eagerly anticipate shaping and driving the sector’s enthusiastic program to accomplish long-term sustainable and inclusive growth,” Simpson said.
Simpson is anticipated to bring considerable public and economic sector experience, having actually formerly served on the board of directors for British Airways and Iberia, and as consultant to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In addition to Simpson’s visit, Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, will begin his term as chair of WTTC.
Outgoing WTTC leader Gloria Guevara is credited for having actually reinforced the significance of the travel industry’s financial power over the previous year and establishing an industry-recognized “Safe Travels” stamp, in spite of a viewed inability to transition from a volume-based metric to determine travel’s success which had actually controlled pre-Covid and caused a negative impact on destinations.
The challenge to transition into a more sustainable and accountable private sector travel industry is now in the hands of Simpson, as the WTTC heads into a new age of travel stuffed with a fragmented recovery.