Yes, Tourism Minister …

Elizabeth Tower at the UK’s Houses of Parliament. (‘Big Ben’ is the name of the clock’s main bell.) Image by Justin Vogt (CC0) via Pixabay.

You learn that you will be appointed Tourism Minister of your country in January 2023.

To help prepare yourself for media interviews, draft a brief summary of your vision for the future of tourism in your nation.

Your correspondent put this hypothetical to a range of travel & tourism stakeholders — “GT” Insight authors, “GT” Partners, and their invitees — and invited emailed written responses of no more than 300 words.

One respondent, who declined to participate in this “GT” Insight Bites, wrote:

“Thanks David, but I do not wish to be the Tourism Minister of any country. They have no powers whatsoever and just need to do what the finance, foreign affairs, and economics ministers tell them. Let me know if the office of PM becomes available and I will have an opinion.”

Indeed, I have heard the same or similar sentiment expressed many times over the years. Is there truth to it? What do you think?

Thanks to the nine respondents from across four continents who presumably do see value in the tourism portfolio, and who chose to participate in this “GT” Insight Bites. Their answers appear in the order received. Click/touch a name to go to their answer:

• Karen Simmonds — UK: Tourism ‘for good, creating peace and prosperity’
• Saverio F Bertolucci — Italy: Collaborative marketing, transport, agriculture
• K Michael Haywood — Canada: Tourism as ‘a pathway to hope and happiness’
• Susan Eardly — Sri Lanka: A green and inclusive future for tourism
• Zohreh Khosravi — Iran: Access, ease, income, employment, foreign exchange
• Kevin Phun — Singapore: ‘People are our strength’
• S Fatemeh Mostafavi Shirazi — Iran: ‘Image and reputation are key’
• Jonathon Day — Notes for a new leader
• Issoufou Adamou Hassane — Niger: Tourism a key to ‘Cultural Renaissance’
• What do you think?

Previous “GT” Insight Bites:

• What are tourism’s biggest challenges & threats over the next five years?
• ‘Tourism is built on the backbone of white supremacy’. What do you think?
• Really, what’s the difference? ‘Sustainable tourism’ vs ‘regenerative tourism’
• Want a career in tourism? Important things you should know
• Diverse perspectives on travel & tourism and a fairer world
• Diverse perspectives on economic degrowth and tourism
• Diverse perspectives on visitor dispersion