Travel & Tourism

The World Youth and Student Travel Conference is the must attend trade event for key stakeholders and organisations in youth, student and educational travel. Providing the diverse industries that serve today’s young travellers and students with a global meeting point to come together, across sector and conduct business. Fastest Growing Sector in Travel Study abroad, language travel, cultural exchange, adventure travel, gap year, and work exchange are all part of the travel industry’s fastest growing sector; representing over 20% of all international visitors. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), soon every fourth traveller will be a young person. The latest study on young independent travellers was presented by the WYSE Travel Confederation at WYSTC 2007.

Waterparks.com is the official Web site for the waterpark and water-leisure industries. It is the most comprehensive listing of waterparks in the world! It was developed and is maintained by the World Waterpark Association, the international organization created to further safety and business effectiveness in the waterpark industry. There are approximately 1,000 members of the WWA in more than 40 countries throughout the world. The members fall in one of two categories: Park Members or Supplier Members. Park Members are members who own, operate or manage water-leisure facilities. Park Members can also be prospective park developers who plan to build and/or operate a waterpark in the future. Supplier Members are members who supply products or services to waterpark facilities or developers.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourism industry. With Chief Executives of some one hundred of the world's leading Travel & Tourism companies as its Members, WTTC has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to Travel & Tourism. WTTC works to raise awareness of Travel & Tourism as one of the world's largest industries, employing approximately 231 million people and generating over 10.4 per cent of world GDP.

THE SUMMIT The Global Travel & Tourism Summit is the highest level gathering of Travel & Tourism leaders in the world. Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the Summit will take place in Dubai on 20-22 April 2008. THE PARTNERSHIP The World Travel & Tourism Council, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Jumeirah Group and Nakheel, have formed a dynamic public and private sector partnership to plan, prepare and host the Global Travel & Tourism Summit taking place in Dubai. THE FORUM FOR CHANGE Set in a unique format – The Round - the Summit will engage invited participants in real dialogue on issues that affect the industry and the world at large. Invited participants include the Chairs and Chief Executives of the Travel & Tourism industry, heads of government, international experts and the global media.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT) is a specialized agency of the United ‎Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. It serves as a ‎global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.‎ UNWTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, ‎sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the ‎interests of developing countries.‎ The Organization encourages the implementation ‎of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, with a view to ensuring that member ‎countries, tourist destinations and businesses maximize the positive economic, ‎social and cultural effects of tourism and fully reap its benefits, while minimizing its ‎negative social and environmental impacts.‎ Its membership includes 160 countries and territories and more than 350 Affiliate ‎Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations ‎and local tourism authorities.‎ Direct actions that strengthen and support the efforts of National Tourism ‎Administrations are carried out by UNWTO's regional representatives (Africa, the ‎Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia) based at ‎the Headquarters in Madrid.‎ UNWTO is committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, geared ‎toward reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.‎ UNWTO World Tourism Organization Capitán Haya 42 28020 Madrid, Spain Tel +34 91 567 81 00 Fax +34 91 571 37 33

The WTF Brand will be built via the cooperative placement of a WTF-branded Icon on the websites of destinations, non-profit organizations, and suppliers. The Icon enables the consumer to seamlessly navigate destination and supplier choices and build a travel itinerary. Unique to the tourism industry, the destination is the core product of tourism. WTN will place each unique destination in the “center of universe” with all suppliers and the rest of the world revolving around them. The WTF Icon provides entry into the WTN’s Destination Navigator relative to the site where it is found. At any point in the Destination Navigator experience (up, down, and around their destination choice) the Visitor can access the site of the most locally recognized Destination Management Organization (DMO) for non-biased destination information. Aligned to each DMO, WTN will provide a non-biased menu of interfaced suppliers serving that destination. The WTN will network servers to check availabilities and pull live inventory from any one interface path the supplier directs. This may be via a GDS, a Switch, a chain CRS, a tour operator CRS, a destination system, a web-based channel management vendor, or direct from a supplier’s reservation management system. WTN will use industry-created messaging specifications for the interface protocol. Edward L. Beauchamp, Development Coordinator World Tourism Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 114 Earlysville, Virginia 22936 USA