Every year, between 2010 and 2019, Travel & Tourism grew faster than the global economy, thus enriching local communities and destinations at a faster rate than many other sectors. As one of the largest economic sectors globally, it accounted for 10.3% of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs on the planet in 2019; and of the 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals recorded in 2019, 44% went to cities. As the world continues to urbanize, with 55% of the world’s population already living in cities, it is expected that cities will continue to be attractive places to live, do business and to discover as destinations. Although COVID-19 has been devastating for Travel & Tourism, with GDP losses amounting to US$4.9 trillion and nearly 62 million jobs lost in 2020, people’s desire to travel and discover the world has remained unabated. In fact, travellers are increasingly seeking out secondary and tertiary destinations, showcasing the continued importance to prioritize destination readiness.
The Index analyzed 63 global cities across 75 different indicators and data points and eight different pillars including scale, concentration, safety & security, environmental readiness, leisure, business, urban readiness, and policy prioritization to determine key factors for tourism readiness. When indexed, those 75 data points, provided incredible insight into what truly makes a city ready for sustainable tourism growth. From the indexed outcomes five city typologies emerged:

1. Dawning Developers These cities tend to have emerging tourism infrastructure, perhaps having placed less emphasis historically on their Travel & Tourism sector. To date, these cities have experienced gradual tourism growth, but have lower levels of concentration. Such destinations often have a clean slate in planning long term tourism development with many opportunities ahead. Examples include Delhi and Riyadh.
2. Emerging Performers These cities have experienced growing tourism momentum, enabled by emerging tourism infrastructure. This can provide tremendous opportunities for strategic development. However, some of these cities are characterized by a smaller scale and should the speed of visitor arrivals outpace scale and capacity, destinations in this category may experience pressures and challenges such as overcrowding. Examples include Dubrovnik and Buenos Aires.
3. Balanced Dynamics These cities have established tourism infrastructure and potential for further Travel & Tourism growth, across both leisure and business segments, whilst balancing scale and concentration. Examples include Auckland and Vancouver
4. Mature Performers These cities have strong leisure and/ or business travel dynamics and an established tourism infrastructure. As these destinations look to further drive Travel & Tourism growth, they will need to proactively consider potential pressures as well as opportunities for diversification to avoid strains linked to visitor volumes. Examples include Berlin, Miami, and Hong Kong.
5. Managing Momentum These cities have historically had high growth momentum, supported by an established tourism infrastructure. Destinations within this typology are more likely than ‘Mature Performers’ to have already reached the stage of feeling the pressures of balancing scale and concentration as they continue to benefit from Travel & Tourism. Examples include Amsterdam, London, and Las Vegas.

The extensive number of indicators highlight the complexity of achieving tourism readiness, requiring cities to proactively address all data points included in the analysis. In effect, marketing and positioning are only one aspect to consider, with cities having to define and implement policies and strategies that will address issues from visitor flows and traveler safety to the diversification of segments and offerings, to successfully manage and sustainably grow their destinations.
What do cities need to consider in order to be ready for sustainable global tourism? Everything. Now more than ever, with the impact of a global pandemic still deeply effecting our industry, our industry and our cities must align to plan for the future.
The findings of the WTTC & JLL Global Cities’ Readiness for Sustainable Tourism Growth report identify five key considerations and factors to enhance a destination’s readiness.
Public-private-community engagement
Partnerships and multistakeholder engagement have always been key to effective destination planning and management. However, in recent years, the concept of destination stewardship, an approach that balances and meets the needs of all stakeholders has gained increased traction. To thrive, destination stewardship must approach needs and goals holistically and requires public-private-community collaboration.
Sustainability at the core
As highlighted during COP26 in 2021, climate change and environmental degradation are worsening at an alarming pace, requiring urgent action to avoid a devastating impact on destinations, businesses, local communities, the global economy, and our way of life. With today’s decisions defining the world of tomorrow, there is a need to increase both ambitions and actions to protect people and planet.
Communication & outreach
A clear and compelling communications and outreach strategy is essential to support a city’s strategic plan for sustainable and resilient Tourism growth. Indeed, effective communication and outreach can significantly contribute to deeper engagement by all stakeholders, including city officials, business leaders and the local community, as well as building trust, in turn making the plan more impactful.
Strategic planning
Successfully integrating tourism into the destination’s agenda requires careful planning and consideration. It is not only essential to have a comprehensive tourism plan, but to ensure that the Travel & Tourism goals and approach are aligned and integrated into the destination’s broader strategy to steward the destination’s future successfully
Leveraging technology
While the acceleration of digital technologies and the resulting innovations have been a prominent feature of the COVID-19 crisis, digitization has been a growing trend for decades. Although digitization should not be employed to replace human interaction given the high-touch nature of the Travel & Tourism sector, it should be leveraged as a means to enrich the travellers experience and enhance the livability of the city.

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