PERTH, Australia — While most people may be familiar with mega-brands like Marriott and Delta, 80% of the global travel and tourism sector is made up of small and medium-sized businesses.
Citing this figure, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) at its global summit here called “Togetter in Travel” to provide support and resources to these businesses and give lawmakers a complete picture of the travel industry. We have launched an initiative called.
Together in Travel is free to join and gives subscribers access to content such as social media tips, networking opportunities, and a section on educational programs. Next year, the initiative will introduce a paid subscriber option with enhanced features and benefits (the platform does not offer membership to WTTC).
Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch, WTTC membership vice president and the driving force behind Together in Travel, said the motivation for the program was to give the travel industry greater influence.
“It’s another thing for us to show up at Congress or City Hall or whatever and say, ‘We’re WTTC,'” he said. “But if you show up to a government agency and say, ‘By the way, within your borders and city limits, we also represent 1,200 small businesses,’ frankly, that’s a political, It corresponds to the moral high ground.”
For Together in Travel’s SME members, Upchurch said the three most important things the initiative provides are pride, inspiration and access to practical tools.
One example of such a tool, he said, is the country economic impact reports produced by WTTC in partnership with Oxford Economics.
“For small businesses, it could be an addendum to a loan document with an investment bank,” Upchurch said.
Another example is this month’s WTTC report on the strength of Indigenous tourism. Upchurch said the study “could be a great piece of information that shows this is a real trend and there’s real money behind it.”
He added: “We don’t need to tell (small businesses) how to run a DMC or how to run a boutique hotel. We need to help them provide the big picture.”
Take pride in your business
Upchurch said pride is paramount to this project. “If we could accomplish one thing, it would be for the entire travel and tourism industry to say, ‘I’m not just a hotelier, I’m not just a cruise industry guy, but I’m a proud member of the world.’ Because just repeating that basic statistic provides significant momentum. ”
Mr Upchurch said inspiration would come from each other, as well as big companies and key figures in the industry. He said he hopes WTTC members will support small and medium-sized businesses by sharing their knowledge.
He cited Intrepid Travel’s work on animal welfare in tourism as an example of a topic that small businesses can learn from.
“If you’re looking to develop an animal-related tourism venture, what’s the most important framework to ensure it’s ethical? Or maybe it’s measuring sustainability or staffing. ” he said. “The idea is that many WTTC members will start offering what they have developed, open source it, and make it available to small and medium-sized businesses.”
During the summit, Ryan Mosney, co-founder of Perth’s Matagulp Zip + Climb, became the first member of Together in Travel.
“As a small business, it can be difficult to access the critical resources and industry connections you need to grow in the travel industry,” he said. “WTTC’s new initiative comes at the perfect time.
“Through customized support, we will be able to tackle problem areas head-on, allowing us to not only survive but also grow in an increasingly competitive market.”
