Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will team up with David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), for a session on Tuesday 4 March hosted by Anita Mendiratta, Founder & Managing Director of CACHET Consulting.
BERLIN – Maintaining its position as a leading conference for the global hospitality industry, the 2014 International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), presented by Questex Media Group 3-5 March at the InterContinental Berlin, will feature tourism ministers from emerging and developed countries offering their perspective on key issues affecting hotels and resorts.
Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will team up with David Scowsill, President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), for a session on Tuesday 4 March hosted by Anita Mendiratta, Founder & Managing Director of CACHET Consulting.
Speaking on the forthcoming conference, Rifai said: “Hotels are one of tourism’s leading drivers of employment and economic revenue, providing employment to hundreds of millions of people around the world, contributing significantly to local economic growth and development. This growing impact must go hand in hand with social and environmental responsibility. The hotel sector is increasingly aware of this reality and we are glad to observe how investments in this sector are ever more embracing social awareness as a guiding principle in line with the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.”
David Scowsill added; “Travel & Tourism is responsible for 1 in 11 jobs and $1.3 trillion of exports. It contributes US 6.8 trillion or 9% of the global economy, which is a greater economic share than industries including higher education, automotive manufacturing, mining and chemicals manufacturing. Moving forward, the Industry is predicted to outperform the global economy as well as many global industries over the next decade. If the projected growth potential of the industry over the next ten years is to be harnessed, it is really important that Governments unite with the public and private sector and implement policies, which provide people with greater freedom to travel”.
The following Tourism Ministers and officials will participate in sessions and be in attendance throughout the conference:
- Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia
- Dr. Lahcen Haddad, Tourism Minister, Kingdom of Morocco
- Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, Minister for Tourism, United Republic of Tanzania
- Sylvia Masebo, Minister for Tourism and Arts, Zambia
- Jean Marcel Fernandes, Director of Financing and Investment Promotion, Department of the Ministry of Tourism, Brazil
- Sergey Shpilko, Chairman, Moscow Committee for Tourism and Hospitality.
Kerry Gumas, Questex Media Group President & CEO, said understanding how developing countries attract tourism investment is of paramount importance to hotel brands, owners, developers, investors, consultants and lenders. “The participation of the invited tourism ministers will provide insight into how we can best serve guests from these areas.”
IHIF is known as the place where deals get done and is Europe’s largest gathering of senior-level global hotel industry leaders.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
