Findings from new economic research in to business travel, commissioned by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), will be released, analysed and debated by industry leaders and experts during a dedicated business travel session set to take place during the 11th Global Travel & Tourism Summit in Las Vegas from May 17th–19th.

The Summit, which will bring together 1,000 delegates from all sectors of the travel and tourism industry, will tackle some of the key questions people are asking surrounding the future of the industry.

Business travel was the first travel sector to be hit by the economic downturn as companies cut back their travel budgets.

This was further confounded by president Barack Obama’s negative comments surrounding business travel to Las Vegas, intended to hit out at Wall Street bonuses, but instead having ramifications for citizens in Nevada.

Meanwhile technology based alternatives such as video-conferencing and web-based meeting technology have presented new challenges to the sector.

During the Business of Doing Business session, at 14:15 on May 18th, industry leaders will examine the role of business travel in Powering Global Growth as the world begins to emerge from global recession.

Driven by WTTC’s latest research that explores the impact of business travel on the global economy, the session will attempt to uncover the future direction of the sector and its potential contribution to economic growth.

The research was sponsored by American Express Company, Singapore Tourism Board, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and the US Travel Association.

Business of Doing Business

The Business of Doing Business will kick off with highlights of the new business travel research that will be unveiled and dissected during an interview between Louisa Bojesen, Anchor, CNBC and Adam Sacks, Managing Director, Tourism Economics, who co-authored the report.

This will be followed by a lively panel debate that will air some of the most pressing issues around the evolution of business travel, its benefits, its shortfalls and whether or not the survival of business travel even matters.

Panellists from a variety of sectors within Travel & Tourism will include:

Charles Petruccelli, president, global travel services, American Express.

Rossi Ralenkotter, president, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Doug Anderson, president, Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Kah Peng Aw, chief executive, Singapore Tourism Board.

Gerald Lawless, executive chairman, Jumeirah Group.

Some of the questions that will fuel this live debate include:

Where do the opportunities for business tourism lie as it emerges from recession?

How can companies strike a balance between actual travel and new technology ‘meetings’?

What are the opportunities offered by the MICE sector?

How can the positive role of business travel be better communicated in a world of growing concerns regarding conspicuous consumption and carbon emissions?