Scowsill, left, is joined on stage by Craigs

Martin Craigs, chief executive of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and World Travel & Tourism Council president David Scowsill have outlined a united agenda in advocacy for the total travel industry chain.

Craigs told journalists PATA as a member of the Global Travel Coalition would increasingly refer to the ‘visitor economy’ as a strategy to make politicians think more broadly of travel and tourism as a job creation and poverty alleviating industry.

“We will be stressing the benefits of the ‘visitor economy’ as a formidable force that every government should embrace and nurture,” said the Craigs.

Scowsill said the WTTC would be pleased to bring its Regional Summit to Thailand in 2015.

He told the press the “centre of gravity” for the travel and tourism industry was still European, but that it was moving towards Asia, “which will be the new centre of gravity within ten years or so”.

Scowsill said that the ASEAN region should move towards a Schengen type joint visa by 2015 and that it should be fully electronic, probably using a similar model that Australia currently uses.