Global Travel Organizations Form New Coalition to Encourage Unified Voice on Issues

A group of travel organizations today unveiled a new manifesto in the hope that it will generate unity across multiple travel sectors on key issues facing the industry's growth.

Members including the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Airports Council International, International Air Transport Association, Cruise Line International Association, and the World Travel & Tourism Council announced the formation of the Global Travel Association Coalition at this year's World Travel & Tourism Council's Global Summit in Madrid, Spain

In the manifesto, members pledge to work together with governments and private sector companies to advance travel facilitation, infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, and investment in human capital. This breaks down to members promoting the expansion of transparent visa processes, visa waiver programs, regional visa agreements, and trusted traveler programs as well as seamless travel procedures at borders.

"In 2015 63% of the world still needs visas to travel from country to country, but that percentage is down from 77% in 2008, so we are seeing progress," Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, told Skift at the summit.

The coalition also intends to hold public and private companies more accountable to their sustainable promises through the development of strong public/private partnerships that will help measure tourism's environmental impact as well as aggressively endorsing tourism jobs as viable career options.