But we also learned with the H1N1 outbreak in Mexico and the U.S. last spring that disease is not the only risk. Poor information-sharing by governments can exacerbate the situation by leading them to make poorly informed decisions on travel advisories and bans.

Rumor and speculation, rather than facts, guided far too many global governmental decisions regarding how people should travel and how goods should be transported between countries. This inconsistent messaging and miscommunication caused many companies and individuals to cancel travel plans - adding to the already immense challenges of a global economic downturn. This can have a cascading effect on the travel and tourism industry, which generates approximately $5.5 trillion in economic activity annually, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

The events of last spring argue for greater coordination between governments. To that end, Travelport has called on the governments of the United States and the European Union to develop a US-EU Task Force on Global Emergency Communications. The proposal is part of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue’s “Building a Transatlantic Innovation Economy,” a set of recommendations developed by the transatlantic business community. [You can see the recommendations by clicking here.]

Governments on both sides of the Atlantic need to develop a coordinated approach when communicating restrictions on global travel and shipping during health and security-related emergencies. A public-private task force on emergency communications will help us achieve consistency in messaging and minimize unnecessary disruptions of global travel and trade.

The task force would serve as a clearinghouse of fact-based information for elected officials responding to global crises. It would also help establish cross-border relationships between decision-makers and develop processes to ensure consistent communications in the event of an emergency. Ideally, the task force would be chaired by government and business representatives from the travel and supply chain industries. Other members would represent different sectors of the economy and include health and security representatives.

In a world where rumors and speculation spread even faster than viruses like H1N1, we need to make sure that we’re getting accurate information into the hands of decision-makers. A task force on global emergency communications will go a long to make sure that happens.

As you can imagine, we had a lot of issues to discuss: the state of the travel economy, the impact of the swine flu virus, the ability of travel and tourism to stimulate economic growth, building public/private partnerships, and much more.  It was also an opportunity to share ideas for developing the travel and tourism business in Brazil, which has huge potential as an international destination.

The Summit is also a big networking event.  It’s not often that we have so many industry leaders in one place, so it’s a great place to meet with customers, suppliers, partners and government officials to discuss the key issues facing our industry – and, of course, talk about potential business opportunities.

One of the highlights of the Summit was the announcement of the winners of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.  Travelport is a co-sponsor of the awards, which provide outstanding examples of how businesses and destinations are creating sustainable travel services and opportunities.  I had the honor of presenting two of the four awards.

Travel and tourism represents 8% of global GDP, according to the WTTC, so it has the size and scale to energize economies around the world.  But the long-term growth of our industry also depends on our success in delivering travel and tourism experiences that are environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable.  We have to be a leader, not a follower.  And one way we can lead is by shining a bright light on the companies and organizations that are pointing the way to a more sustainable future.

The award winners – and the other eight finalists as well – stand out because of their vision, their creativity and ingenuity and their unwavering determination to turn their vision into reality.

Take the Destination Stewardship Award recipient – Grupo PUNTACANA from the Dominican Republic.  For nearly three decades, it has worked to create a community that respects the natural habitat of Punta Cana and betters the lives of local people.  The Punta Cana International Airport, for example, was designed to reflect the local culture and built using local materials.  Of Grupo PUNTACANA’s 1,700 employees, 99% are from the Dominican region.  It also founded the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, which created a 1500-acre private nature reserve, contributes to coral reef conservation and supports sustainable development initiatives.

The Conservation Award winner was NatureAir, which flies to 17 destinations within Costa Rica.  Five years ago, the company made a pledge to set new standards for sustainable practices in the airline industry.  It compensates for 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions through preservation and reforestation of tropical forests in the Osa Peninsula, in the southwest corner of the country.   NatureAir has also developed Costa Rica’s only alternative fueling station, and fuels company vehicles and equipment using 100% bio-diesel.

The winner of the Community Benefit Award was the Zakoura Foundation for Micro Credit, a Morocco-based not-for-profit organization.  In 2003, Zakoura launched a Rural Tourism Program to develop tourism-related projects focused on financial, cultural and environmental sustainability.  The idea is to give rural people opportunities to diversify and increase their incomes by creating or developing tourist activities, from restaurants and local produce to accommodations and leisure activities.

The Global Tourism Business Award went to Marriott International Inc., one of the world’s largest hotel groups.  For the past 18 months, Marriott has worked with Conservation International on a sweeping initiative to put 1.4 million acres of Amazon rainforest under conservation protection – a model for collaboration between the private sector and conservation organizations.  In addition to carbon offsets through rainforest protection, Marriott is reducing fuel and water consumption, working with vendors to provide greener products, creating green construction standards, and providing environmental education for employees.

You can find out more about the winners and finalists by clicking here.

It’s hard sometimes during an economic crisis to look too far into the future.   But the Tourism for Tomorrow Award winners underscore that the travel and tourism industry is not only talking about sustainable travel but doing something about it.  Each of the 12 finalists is an outstanding example of what the future of travel can be and the positive impact sustainable travel can have on the environment, community development and local economies – as well as the long-term growth of our industry.

The target of their ire is travel by companies receiving emergency federal loans.  The problem is that the impact of their declarations hasn’t been limited to the companies in the financial services industry that are receiving government assistance.  It is also discouraging responsible business travel as companies seek to avoid the perception that they’re being extravagant in their travel decisions.  This is damaging an industry already in a deep recession.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, meetings, events and incentive travel generate $101 billion in spending, $16 billion in taxes and one million jobs annually.  Business-related travel overall generates $240 billion in spending, $39 billion in taxes and 2.4 million jobs.

The global recession has already had a dramatic effect on our industry in the U.S. and around the world.  The Commerce Department reports that the U.S. lost 200,000 travel and tourism related jobs in 2008.  The U.S. Department of Labor predicts an additional 247,000 job losses this year.

It’s easy to see why.  In December, for example, the number of meetings held in Las Vegas was down nearly 17%, and the number of visitors fell 11%.  Hotel occupancy in downtown Atlanta – a big convention city – was down 20% in December.  Orlando attracted 25% fewer conventions and trade shows during the second half of 2008 than it did during the same period in 2007.  Those statistics are repeated in cities around the country.

In the midst of the worst travel recession since 9/11, lawmakers should be encouraging responsible business travel – and all other kinds of travel as well – instead of discouraging it.  The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that for every two direct travel jobs, one additional indirect travel job is created.  This sounds a lot like economic stimulus to me.

I also want to reinforce the point I made in my last post.  We need to promote travel and tourism at the national level, just as the vast majority of developed nations do.  And we can do it without spending taxpayers’ money.

At the same time, our industry needs to step up its efforts to educate Congress, the Administration and the public about the vital role that travel and tourism play in our economy – business travel, leisure travel, all kinds of travel.  The events of the past few weeks indicate that lawmakers don’t make the connection between business travel and jobs.  We need to help connect the dots.

I’m pleased to say that President Obama is one of those who recognize the economic impact of travel.  I was with a group of travel industry leaders who met with the President on March 11 to discuss these issues.  You can view our press statement here.

The more we do now to promote travel and tourism – not just in the U.S. but around the world – the better off we’ll be when the economy eventually begins to recover.

Jeff

Consider some statistics:

• The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that travel and tourism generated (directly and indirectly) nearly $6 billion in global economic activity in 2008 – about 10% of worldwide GDP.
• The travel and tourism economy contributes more than 238 million jobs – more than 8% of total employment (WTTC)
• According to the UN World Tourism Organization, 75 countries earn at least $1 billion a year from travel and tourism.

There are more facts and figures here at the WTTC web site.

Even though travel and tourism have declined during the global economic crisis, they remain huge engines of economic growth.  In a downturn, it makes more sense than ever to invest in promoting tourism.  Yet the United States, with more than $1.4 trillion in travel and tourism GDP (WTTC), does not have an organization with this responsibility at the national level.  It’s one of the few developed nations without one.

The U.S. Travel Association estimates the decline in overseas travel to America since 9/11 has cost 46 million visitors, $140 billion in lost visitor spending and $23 billion in lost tax revenue.  Had the country tracked global travel trends during this time, the U.S. economy would have created an additional 340,000 jobs in 2007.

Travelport has a big stake in the U.S. travel economy, so these declines affect our business as well.

That’s why Travelport and our industry organizations are aggressively supporting the “Travel Promotion Act.”  It would create a public-private partnership to promote travel to the United States and communicate U.S. security and entry policies.  It would be funded through private sector contributions and a fee on international travelers who use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) – that is, citizens of countries whose travelers do not need a visa to enter the U.S.

The legislation passed the House easily in 2008 but was held up in the Senate.  It is a top industry priority for 2009.

We’re also doing everything we can to make travel easier by advocating for more effective, efficient air travel security.  While ESTA, for example, promises to streamline entry into the U.S., it also needs to be implemented well, and communication with international travelers needs to be effective.  We’re working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to get this right.

You can find out more about ESTA by clicking here.

At the same time, the industry supports increased funding for technology and staff at U.S. air and land points of entry, another important step in making it easier to travel to America.

2009 will be a tough year for travel throughout the world.  But investment in travel promotion today – along with continued efforts to make travel both efficient and secure – will stimulate the travel economy and ensure a robust recovery once the economy improves.

Jeff

Consider some statistics.  According to the Society of Government Travel Professionals (SGTP), government spends an estimated $20 billion a year on travel.  This represents 1 percent of worldwide spending on travel and tourism and nearly 4 percent of U.S. spending, which the WTTC estimates will be $542 billion this year.   I think it’s safe to say that government is also a dominant travel purchaser in many other countries around the world.

I make this point because I recently had the opportunity to speak at the SGTP 2008 EdCon Government Travel Conference in Washington, D.C.  The organization’s members include travel managers from the civilian and defense agencies of the U.S. government as well as from the states.  SGTP has been a tireless advocate for greater professionalism in government travel management, and they’ve done a lot to bring about greater communications between the government and the travel industry.

Government travel professionals face the same issues as other travel purchasers today, including rising costs and declining capacity – but on a greater scale.  They’re looking for next-generation technology that can differentiate services and costs.  They want products and services that can be customized to meet specific needs.  The want improved online booking.  And they want to be able to integrate processes like approval, booking and payment with their financial systems.

What is unique about the membership of the SGTP is that they have the power and influence to get their way.  Just compare the airfares negotiated by the U.S. government with commercial fares.  While commercial fares have increased by about 34 percent due to rising fuel costs, government fares have increased by a more modest 13 percent, according to the U.S. General Services Administration.

I encouraged the SGTP members to use their influence to be a positive force for change in the travel industry.  They have the ability to insist on new technology that will deliver both lower costs and better service.  They can demand customer service that delivers higher quality.  They can drive new levels of information, from integrated expenditures to real-time passenger tracking to data on the environmental impact of travel choices.  And they can push for technology to expedite airport security clearance as well as travel services to lessen the hassle factor.

When the SGTP members want something – and when they speak with one voice – travel agencies, airlines, hotels and companies like Travelport have to pay attention.   As agency contracts for travel services come up for renewal over the next few years, I believe we’ll see a new level of expectations from government travel purchasers.  When all is said and done, that will be good for the industry and for travelers around the world.

It took immersion in the travel business when I became CEO of Travelport to broaden my perspective. What I found, once I looked beyond the individual act of traveling, was the power of numbers – the power of mass travel.

Consider a few statistics. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, there were nearly 900 million international arrivals around the world in 2007. Approximately 40% of them were in developing countries. Travel and tourism generated global revenue of $1.2 trillion in 2006. Approximately 75 countries earn at least $1 billion a year from international tourism – and in 90 countries, travel and tourism accounts for more than 10 percent of GDP.

What these statistics tell me is that we’re in a golden age of travel, with more travelers from more regions of the world traveling to more destinations than ever before. Skyrocketing oil costs may slow worldwide travel and tourism growth in the short-term – we’re seeing more proof of that every day – but I don’t see them stopping the long-term trend.

The impact of travel and tourism, though, is more than economic. Yes, mass travel has the power to improve community development and prosperity, but it also promotes cultural awareness and preservation and fosters a deeper understanding of our diverse world.

The very act of traveling to another country requires an interest in the world beyond the borders of the traveler’s home country – a curiosity about other lands and cultures and a willingness to leave behind something comfortable for something unfamiliar.

When a Chinese family travels to Europe . . . a Brazilian to India . . . an American to Egypt . . . or an African to Russia . . . they are bridging a huge cultural divide. And the bridge remains even when the travelers return home because they’ve made a connection that wasn’t there before.

Travel gives life to a world that may otherwise be seen only through the remote lens of books, newspapers, television and the Internet. We become more familiar with each other. We find similarities and appreciate differences. We put human faces on people who were little more than abstract figures or stereotypes before.

We’re all moved, for example, by the televised images of destruction and suffering from the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar, but those who have traveled to China or Southeast Asia feel an even closer connection to these events and the survivors. Travel shrinks the world into a large, very diverse neighborhood.

That, to me, is the essence of tolerance and understanding . . . the foundation of a more peaceful and interdependent world. One of the organizations we work with – the International Institute for Peace through Tourism – says it well: “Every traveler is potentially an ‘ambassador for peace.’”

Travel is a means to more than one end. And one of those ends is a world that is more culturally aware, more tolerant and more peaceful. That is the power of travel, and it makes me proud to be part of this industry.