21 Dec 2009
Tourism Ministers Give Insight Into 2010

WTM

UNWTO Ministers' Summit at WTM and individual minister interviews available at www.wtmlondon.com

World Travel Market 2009 hosted the largest-ever UNWTO Ministers' Summit which involved 147 tourism ministers and their aides. The ground breaking summit - Roadmap for Recovery: Sustainable Tourism in Challenging Times - is available to watch at the World Travel Market website (www.wtmlondon.com), which includes presentation from a number of senior private sector leaders including Thomas Cook Chief Executive Manny Fontentla-Novoa. Also available on the website are a number of individual minister interviews carried out with the support of Sky News and National Geographic. Listen to; - Jamaican Minister of Tourism Mr Edward Bartlett fear some Caribbean destinations may lose out by up to �100 million following the UK Government's recent increase in Air Passenger Duty

- Kenyan Minister of Tourism Najib Balala reveal how the country is targeting two million tourists by 2012. This follows an 87% increase in arrivals in 2009, taking the number of arrivals to just under one million

- Caribbean Tourism Organisation Secretary General Mr Hugh Riley discuss the Caribbean's focus on sustainable tourism, and

- South African Deputy Minister of Tourism Ms Tokozile Xasa reveal how the country is using tourism and the hosting of the 2010 football World Cup as a catalyst for its economy, while also focusing on eco-tourism.

World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: "The third UNWTO Ministers' Summit at WTM was a great success with largest ever turn out of ministers and aides. "The summit has helped to shape the future roadmap for the travel and tourism industry and will be critical in its recovery and commitment to sustainable tourism. "The summit itself and the individual minister interviews make fascinating viewing and I am delighted World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is able to offer the industry the opportunity to watch this footage." UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Taleb Rifai stressed: "Travel and tourism stakeholders must work together in same way as world leaders, we have to move forward on the spirit of global cooperation. "Tourism needs to win positions on national and global agendas. Our industry can build effective and longstanding bridges between the public and private sector, be a reliable job creator and as a global industry contribute to both climate change response and poverty alleviation."

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About World Travel Market World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Almost 46,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on London's ExCeL Centre every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM. WTM, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals. WTM is owned by the world's leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market. RE holds more than 500 events in 38 countries throughout Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific covering 47 industry sectors including aerospace & aviation, healthcare, manufacturing and sport & recreation. In 2008 RE, part of the Reed Elsevier group, brought together more than six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.

For more information please contact Nicole Collett - 020 8910 7836