PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Debra Kelman Loew
212-794-DKPR (3577)
dkelman@dkpr.com

May 15, 2003

TRAVEL AND TOURISM SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE WORLDWIDE

Travel Business Roundtable and World Travel & Tourism Council Work Toward Making Global Travel Safe and Hassle Free

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Travel Business Roundtable (TBR) and its global partner, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), are commemorating National Travel and Tourism Week – the week designated by Congress to celebrate travel and tourism in the United States – by encouraging people to travel, citing increased security procedures and a decrease in the “hassle factor.”

WTTC, in an effort to help put the traveling publics’ mind at ease, has announced an action plan developed with leading security experts, Objective Team, to limit the potential damage resulting from terrorism and, ultimately, to defeat it. The twin-track approach calls for:

	Promoting to all sectors of the travel and tourism industry and to governments a coherent strategy of high-level messages and associated operating measures, designed to alleviate vulnerability; and
	Convincing the general public and industry employees of the reality that travel and tourism must co-exist with the risk of terrorism - provided that risk is mitigated.

The four cornerstones of the plan are:

	Coordination of all policy, actions and communications by engendering a spirit of co-operation, as well as integrating security into all policy and operational areas.
	Securing operating environments by encouraging the public sector to provide clear direction on the potential threat and the security measures required to defeat it.
	Accessing and working with the best intelligence by having the industry exploit its built-in capabilities for collection of human intelligence information from staff and others on the ground and establish close consultative links with government agencies so relevant intelligence can be disseminated in the timeliest manner possible.
	Denying terrorists freedom of action by addressing the underlying grievances - or perceptions of grievance - within local communities

“The Action Plan will help Travel & Tourism in two main ways,” notes Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president of WTTC. “It contains initiatives to counter the threat of terrorism and its implementation will put minds at ease. The resilience of the traveling public should not be underestimated. Experience shows that once an immediate threat has lifted, people's enthusiasm to travel rapidly returns."

Here in the U.S., there have been significant advances in restoring the country’s confidence in traveling by providing increased security measures under the leadership of the Transportation Security Administration, which was created by President Bush in November 2001, and, now, the US Department of Homeland Security.

Among those accomplishments that have helped ease fears of airline travel include the screening of all checked baggage at all 429 commercial airports in the U.S.; expanding the Federal Air Marshal program; assuming overall responsibility for security at airports; and the successful launch of the consumer education campaign, Prepare for Takeoff, of which TBR was a partner.

In addition, at a recent industry summit – Re-Igniting Growth in Travel and Tourism - sponsored by TBR and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a TBR member organization, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, the keynote speaker at the opening dinner reception, noted that significant changes had been implemented to protect the country’s borders, while also ensuring that we continue to welcome international travelers. The Secretary also noted how travel and tourism intersects with his department’s responsibilities more than any other industry.

“While our industry continues to face many challenges – economic and as a result of world events – we are making significant improvements in terms of ensuring the safety of travelers and facilitating the ease of travel both at home and abroad,” said Jonathan Tisch, chairman of TBR and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. “Travel and tourism is a driving force for the global economy. Through travel, we also have the ability to break down barriers and misconceptions between countries and cultures by allowing people to travel freely. The terrorists who attacked our country hoped to shut us in. Their goal was to destroy our open society and the economy that it is based on. With the attention the industry has focused on security, with the efforts of the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security, security is at an all-time high. In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week, we encourage Americans to show their patriotism by traveling.”

National Travel and Tourism Week runs May 10th through the 18th.

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