The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to support small and medium-sized travel businesses, WTTC said on October 2.
SMEs make up more than 85% of travel and tourism businesses worldwide, according to WTTC. The agreement connects them to ICC’s network of more than 45 million businesses in over 170 countries. It also gives smaller operators a route to put evidence on regulation, finance, skills and visas in front of governments.
The two organisations will share research and business intelligence, work with businesses across ICC’s network, and bring together public- and private-sector leaders. They will also give SMEs practical tools and insights, and turn the findings into policy recommendations.
WTTC said smaller businesses are often hit hardest by fragmented regulation, skills shortages, limited access to markets and finance, digital barriers, connectivity problems and visa requirements. The partners will call on governments to remove the regulatory, financial, digital and mobility barriers that hold back growth.
Initial work will cover research and business engagement, policy development, knowledge sharing, and links between travel businesses and wider international business networks.
“Travel & Tourism is powered by millions of businesses around the world, and SMEs are at the heart of our sector,” said WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara. “By combining WTTC’s understanding of Travel & Tourism with ICC’s extraordinary global reach, we can take evidence from businesses directly to governments and work with policymakers to remove barriers, strengthen competitiveness and unlock greater investment and employment.”
ICC secretary general John W.H. Denton AO said strengthening the operating environment for small businesses in the sector was “both an economic and strategic imperative” at a time of economic uncertainty.
The deal is part of WTTC’s Together in Travel initiative, which brings SME associations and organisations into the council’s work through partnerships. WTTC signed a separate MOU with the Japan Association of Travel Agents and Tourism EXPO Japan on September 24, and holds its Global Summit in Valletta, Malta on October 7-9.