The world travel and tourism dream team Taleb Rifai and David Scowsill are back together.
Both men became good friends and worked together constantly for many years when Dr. Taleb Rifai was the UNWTO Secretary-General, and David Scowsill the CEO of WTTC.
This time both men joined the Tourism Advisory Board of AIRBNB.
On a different level today the current UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and WTTC CEO Guevara Manzo pledged their support of each other today at a press conference in Buenos Aires.
Zurab told about recent developments for cooperation in Latin America. This was echoed with a billion-dollar cooperation in the private tourism industry reported by Gloria from WTTC, benefiting Argentina and other Latin American destinations.
Many of the major or not so major hotels and hotel operators think AIRBNB is operating in the shadow of legality and there to take their business. Tax authorities around the globe are giving AIRBNB a hard time, but the online platform to let tourists experience staying in a private home or apartment is becoming more and more popular.
According to a notice published on the AIRBNB Website:
Airbnb launched the Tourism Advisory Board, made up of travel industry leaders from around the world as part of its Office of Healthy Tourism, an initiative to drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism in countries and cities across the globe. The Tourism Advisory Board is comprised of four members who have set the tone for this dialogue during their years in the industry:
– Professor the Hon Bob Carr, the former Foreign Affairs Minister for Australia and former Premier of New South Wales
– Taleb Rifai, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization
– Rosette Rugamba, Managing Director of Songa Africa and Amakoro Lodge and former Director General of Rwanda Tourism and National Parks
– David Scowsill, Chief Executive of EON Reality Inc. and former President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council
The Tourism Advisory Board will help shape the company’s long-term vision and activities promoting healthy, sustainable tourism and ensuring that as tourism grows, locals are the primary beneficiary.
