What happens to a country’s tourism economy when they endure man-made or natural calamities? How are shifts in income levels and traveler preferences affecting global tourism patterns and what can countries do to understand these trends and build on their reputation to continue to attract tourism dollars?
Answers to these questions and more were discussed when Visa took part in two key global travel and tourism events last week as part of our ongoing commitment to contributing market intelligence and thought leadership to the global travel and tourism industry.
Visa’s David Katz speaking to the panel moderator, Peter Greenberg
Ross Jackson, Head of Cross Border for APCEMEA represented Visa at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) General Assembly in Malaysia and David Katz, Head of Government Relations for North Asia, was in Japan for the 12th Global Travel & Tourism Summit, organised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Both events brought together senior level representatives from governments, national tourism bodies, airlines, hotels and large retailers to discuss the future of the industry, especially in terms of tourism recovery efforts when countries are afflicted by either man-made or natural calamities and the reputation issues that dog these countries even when things are pretty much back to business as usual. The positioning of the WTTC event in Sendai was significant in that it was one of the locations most heavily impacted by last year’s earthquake and tsunami tragedy in Japan.
Both events offered Visa the opportunity to share insights and trends based on Visa account holder spending habits, highlighting travel patterns such as the changes in travel both to and within the Asia Pacific. While there are many indices that help track travel movements, Visa’s unique position as the world’s largest retail electronic payments network, and the insight into travel and spend habits that this network provides, gives unmatched intelligence that help governments and businesses improve product offerings and marketing strategies that can best attract visitors and strengthen their country’s tourism competitiveness
Both Ross and David shared the stage with illustrious representatives from governments and the industry, including the Malaysian Tourism Minister, heads of the Singapore Tourism Board and Tourism Authority of Thailand, the President and CEO of the WTTC as well as noted travelogue producer Peter Greenberg.
