From the Cambridge Union debating chamber Michael Dominguez, President & CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), charts the leisure-led recovery of the travel sector but warns that commitment and consistency are key to successful government relations, advocacy, and support.
The source code to the recent $1.7 trillion 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act including the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State for Travel & Tourism in the U.S dates back, in part at least, to the Meetings Mean Business response to the GFC in 2009 and the infamous AIG-gate debacle that brought the corporate meetings and incentive sector to its knees.
The need for sustainability benchmarking is going to be the next existential challenge for the sector in the face of climate activism which will surely bring into question the value of events. Dominguez calls for baseline measurement criteria upon which to defend the sustainability of events much as the Meetings Mean Business movement did for measuring the visitor economy 14 years ago.
The ALHI President & CEO was speaking at ‘The Great Industry Debate’ at Cambridge University.
Further reading:
From Skift:
In a Huge Win, U.S. to Finally Have a Secretary-Level Position for Tourism
Proving the Value of Meetings to the Wider Business World
From The Points Guy:
The era of hotel bargains is over, Hilton CEO suggests
From Conference & Meetings World:
Secretary of commerce appoints 32 industry leaders to US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board
From Corporate Event News:
