It took the World Tourism Organization thirteen years from concept to reality to gain its invaluable affiliation with the United Nations. It took the founders of the now successful World Travel & Tourism Council fourteen years from vision to getting the industry’s corporate Chairman around a table and each to agree to write a $50,000 check. It has taken the International Institute of Peace through Tourism twenty years to gain world momentum.
The roots of the World Tourism Network go back to 1971 as mainframe technologies were entering the industry. The emergence the PC/Mac in the eighties and the Web in the nineties made it technologically and economically possible. In 1995, World Tourism Foundation, Inc. was incorporated to serve as the development entity for the non-profit “World Tourism Foundation” and the for-profit “World Tourism Network.” World Tourism Foundation, Inc. is owned by individual destination, supplier, technology, and academic leaders.
Several hundred tourism, technology, and academic leaders from around the world have quietly developed the product, pricing, and promotion strategies. The Founding Trustees of the WTF represent a geographical balance of recognized global tourism leaders. The Boards of twelve global and regional tourism leadership organizations have agreed to designate the WTF Brand as the industry’s globally shared brand. Of the government-supported/supplier-endorsed DMOs approached in concept beta testing, 100% have expressed interest in participating in a global network of their peers. Of the travel Tech Vendors approached, including some of the largest and the leading pioneers, 95% have agreed to invest the resources to construct a transactional interface into WTN on behalf of their supplier clients.
The rollout timing has required inordinate levels of patience and bold leadership.
The external elements are now aligning. The forty-plus members of the global Development Team representing some of the best minds in the industry for their given area of expertise is expanding. Meetings with DMOs and non-tourism World Leaders have begun.
