PAGPFT. World Tourism Organization.

FOXTROTS

 

 

Fox – sly.  Trots – left-leaning (Trotsky) plus its more insalubrious meaning. 

Foxtrots – leading the industry in a dance.

 

 

2009 March 31

PAGPFT (pronounced PAG-puffed); People Are Getting Paid For This. World Tourism Organization.

WTO (the World Tourism Organization) is passing on a message to the G20 leaders meeting this week. Hopefully, copies have not been printed, as it would be a shameful waste of paper.

 

I base my comments on the message – believing it to be weak and/or meaningless – and the fact that if there is no clear message, this will get dumped by busy country leaders.

 

Some specifics:

 

 

[] The WTO continues to get into a twist over its name. The message is from the WTO, but there are occasional references to ‘UNWTO’. I know that is no more than how the WTO wants us to abbreviate ‘World Tourism Organization’, which remains its official name. Will those outside the business wonder if WTO and UNWTO are different?

 

 

[] Also, the unthinking use of ‘travel and tourism’. I still don’t know why there are two words to describe the travel business. The WTO uses ‘tourism’ to define the whole industry, not just leisure travel – so what is ‘travel’?

 

More, in some statements, the WTO uses ‘travel’ and in others ‘tourism’ and in others ‘travel and tourism’. Is there a difference? I track the industry, and I cannot follow this. What chance G20 leaders? (Although I do admit their skills may be more than mine…)

 

[] Its message says “…Tourism and Travel can be a leader in the shift towards a Green Economy.” I agree with that, but how about some moves by the WTO – instead of exhortations and fine words.

 

 

The Fox