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G20 Tourism Ministerial Meetings

Communiqué

5th T.20 Ministers' Meeting
London, England, November 4, 2013
[pdf]

The Ministers of Tourism and Heads of Delegation of the G20 countries, the European Commission and the relevant international organizations[1] meeting at the 5th T.20 Ministers Meeting, in London, United Kingdom, on 4 November 2013,

I. Recalling that

1. Travel and Tourism accounts for 9% of world GDP (direct, indirect and induced impacts) according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC);

2. Travel and Tourism generates one in eleven jobs worldwide and is a major driver of job creation directly and indirectly, through its linkages to other sectors, representing an easy entry into the job market, particularly for youth and women;

3. Travel and Tourism is a major trade category – in 2012, exports from international tourism (including passenger transport) reached over US$ 1.3 trillion or 30% of the world's service exports according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a specialised agency of the United Nations;

4. Travel and Tourism represents one of the fastest growing and most resilient economic activities. According to UNWTO, in 2012, amidst growing economic uncertainties, international tourist arrivals grew by over 4% to surpass one billion. In the first eight months of 2013, international tourist arrivals grew by 5%. Forecasts by UNWTO suggest that tourism will experience sustained growth in coming years reaching 1.8 billion international tourists arrivals in 2030;

5. Travel and Tourism has been identified within the United Nations Green Economy Initiative as one of the ten sectors which can contribute to sustainable development;

6. Research presented at the 4th T.20 Ministers' Meeting demonstrated that the development and implementation of visa facilitation processes by the G20 countries could generate up to 112 million additional international tourist arrivals by 2015, an extra US$ 206 billion in tourism receipts and create an additional 5.1 million jobs between 2013-2015 amongst the G20 economies;

7. In June 2012, the G20 Leaders meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, recognized "the role of travel and tourism as a vehicle for job creation, economic growth and development, and, while recognizing the sovereign right of States to control the entry of foreign nationals, we will work towards developing travel facilitation initiatives in support of job creation, quality work, poverty reduction and global growth";

II. Considering that

8. The 5th T.20 Ministers' Meeting focused on the advances in visa facilitation following the G20 Los Cabos Declaration and the remaining barriers to progressing the travel facilitation agenda, including entry processes and procedures, as a means to grow the G20 economies and create jobs;

9. OECD research highlights the need for greater coherence across government policies to advance the travel facilitation agenda and realise the potential economic growth and job creation benefits, as it highlights the importance to monitor and evaluate progress;

10. In spite of the great strides made in recent years in facilitating travel, there are still important areas of opportunity for more integrated policy development and implementation, while maintaining a high level of security;

III. Welcoming

11. The work carried out by international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UNWTO in cooperation with the private sector through WTTC, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and others, to evaluate the impact of travel facilitation, identify best practises, and monitor progress.

IV. Recognizing

12. The sovereign right of States to control the access of foreign nationals to their territories – notably by means of visa and entry policies, which they have the authority to determine freely, unilaterally, or in cooperation with other States;

13. That in order to fully realize the benefits of travel and tourism, travel facilitation should include the entire travel process and engage the relevant authorities across the system including tourism, security, foreign affairs, immigration and customs, and transport.

V. Request

14. The G20 to support the efforts to stimulate economic growth and generate jobs by accelerating international cooperation that enables more efficient and secure travel through initiatives such as the use of trusted traveller programmes, electronic visas issuance, information sharing agreements, interoperable technologies, visa waiver programmes and regional agreements.

VI. Decide

15. To support efficient, safe and secure travel by continuing to cooperate on travel facilitation at national and international levels and develop common programmes of work to support cooperative actions wherever possible; and

16. To seek enabling policy frameworks that support needed investment in infrastructures and human resources that allow the sustainable growth of tourism.

VII. Express

17. Their profound appreciation to the UK Government, and in particular to the Minister of Sport and Equalities, H.E. Mrs. Helen Grant, for her leadership in hosting the 5th T.20 Ministers' Meeting.

Note:

[1] Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Organisation of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the ST-EP Foundation, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). ↩

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan