The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), building on its exclusive Tourism Satellite Accounting research produced by Oxford Economic Forecasting, has undertaken a groundbreaking examination of Travel & Tourism’s latent economic potential in countries that have not yet achieved their full development promise.

Findings of the new research will be revealed at a press conference at 11.30 am on 1 May at the Sheraton Hotel Doha, just prior to the start at the 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit, taking place at the same venue. Please see below for details on the Summit and special arrangements for journalists.

The research will establish the main factors that are common to well-developed Travel & Tourism economies and those that are missing in various developing countries. For specific countries, it will also identify what must happen if Travel & Tourism is to achieve its full economic impact. In addition, the research will quantify the latent potential contribution of Travel & Tourism to jobs, GDP, capital investment and other key economic indicators.

The first results of this WTTC research will be presented for the European Union accession countries of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, which are joining the EU on 1 May 2004 as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey that are candidates to join the EU at a later date. Particular emphasis will be placed on the potential for Travel & Tourism job creation and the new data will provide fresh insights and new options to assist policy makers to be more targeted in their approach. It will also address the question of labour migration from the new member states to the established members of the EU.

Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC President said: "Travel & Tourism merits the serious attention of governments, as it is unique in the way it is consistently growing and has the power to shift wealth form the haves to the have-nots. This new research will help policy makers in those countries that have not fully exploited the opportunities offered by the Travel & Tourism, to quantify the benefits the sector could have on their national economies."

About the 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit*

• The 4th Global Travel & Tourism Summit is the highest-level meeting in the annual Travel & Tourism calendar. It will be attended by Chairmen and CEOs of the world’s top Travel & Tourism companies and numerous government officials, who will be available for interview by the media.
• There will be a double news conference on Saturday 1 May. One part will cover the launch of a Grand Plan for Tourism in Qatar, presented by Akbar Al Baker who is both CEO of Qatar Airways and Chairman on the Qatar Tourism Authority; the other will be the new economic research from WTTC.
• As one would expect from a gathering at this level, the networking will be unparalleled and participants will have a genuine opportunity to influence the future direction of the Travel & Tourism industry.
• Qatar Airways is offering a special fare of $200 return for accredited journalists covering the Summit and Qatar National Hotels is providing accommodation at $50 / night to stay in top quality hotels. (NB: Special rates for the media are NOT for broader publication.)
• Under the theme ‘Driving Change’, the Summit discussions will focus on priorities for change and how best to make it happen. The format of the conference will be a series of highly interactive panel discussions. On stage as panellists and experts will be the following people and many, many more of similar stature:

• Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways·
• Doug Baker, US Department of Commerce
• Philippe Bourguignon, Co-Chief Executive Officer, World Economic Forum
• Glen Davidson, Senior VP Worldwide Travel Insurance & Related Services, American International Group
• Dr Michael Frenzel, Chairman, TUI AG
• Edwin Fuller, President & Managing Director, Marriott Lodging International, Inc
• Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder & Chairman, EasyGroup
• Richard North, CEO, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
• Alan Parker, CEO-designate, Whitbread plc, Managing Director, Whitbreat Hotels Company
• David Scowsill, CEO, Opodo
• Gene Sperling, Former White House Economic Advisor
• Jose Antonio Tazon, President & CEO, Amadeus
• Rathi Vinay Jha, Secretary of Tourism, India
• Brian Wallace, Deputy Group CEO and Group Finance Director, Hilton Group plc
• Philip Wolf, President & CEO, PhoCusWright Inc
• Vincent A. Wolfington, Chairman Carey International & Chairman WTTC
• Peter Wong, Chairman, MK Corporation

Some of the questions for analysis and discussion will include:

• What are the latest global trends and what impact will they have?
• What factors will define the competitive edge of the most successful CEOs?
• What will be the best new business strategies for the changing environment?
• What are the main challenges faced by governments and how will they be met?
• Where do the leading entrepreneurs consider the hot investments to be?
• What will the best on-line providers do?
• What can be done to improve customer experiences?
• In the face of bad news, what can be done to prevent unnecessary panic?
• Which markets will provide the best growth potential?

For more information about the Summit, including assistance arranging interviews with panellists on site, please contact David Tarsh on +44 20 7602 5262 or go to www.GlobalTravelTourism.com, where it is possible to register and apply for media accreditation on line.