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The most massive Tourism Ministers' Conference held at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London emphasized the importance of education and training for the future of the travel industry. Under the motto "You have the power to change travel. And travel has the power to change the world" Natalia Bayona, responsible for innovation, education and strategic investment at the World Tourism Organization (WTO), was quick to point out the reality: "There are 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24". However, the WTO spokeswoman said, "there is still a lot of market to tap into," but tourism "is not the preferred field of study" for young people. She asked why tourism is not attractive to young people.

Natalia Bayona stressed that 80% of all tourism training programs in the world focus on "hotel management" and recognized that tourism "is much more than that." Therefore, she emphasized that "we must identify the basic principles of development for tourism" and noted that "training and education is certainly one of them".

Julia Simpson

Julia Simpson, CEO and president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), echoed this idea at the organization's Global Summit, which took place from November 1-3 in Rwanda. She emphasized that the tourism industry is "a growth industry" and sent a message o''that "we have to change the perception of working in tourism". In essence, Julia Simpson wanted to say that 'we need to get the message out that working in tourism is a positive thing and above all a career for those who work in the industry, something that technology companies are succeeding in doing'.

Numerous ministers who spoke at the conference echoed the remarks of the two leaders, emphasizing the need to show young people that tourism is a source of careers. The Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries also noted that "we need to show young people that tourism is a career creator." Patricia de Lille, South Africa's Minister of Tourism, emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to'"our industry."

Jamaica's Minister of Tourism

Jamaica's Minister of Tourism asked, "Has anyone in the industry already asked trainees what kind of training they want when they are interested in our industry?" Mauritius Minister Louis Stephen Obidu emphasized the need for "flexibility and mobility of human resources," not forgetting, however, that "the identity and authenticity of the place must be preserved." In the end, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism returned to the issue of public-private partnerships (PPPs), recognizing that the equation "lacks the 'Ch' - 'People'."