The “big daddy” of tourism organizations speaks

The global travel and tourism industry cannot contend that Geoffrey Lipman is an industry luminary who has held key positions in some of the biggest trade organizations today.

The global travel and tourism industry cannot contend that Geoffrey Lipman is an industry luminary who has held key positions in some of the biggest trade organizations today. He played an instrumental role in the formation of such formidable establishments such as the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Sustainable Tourism for the Elimination of Poverty (ST-EP), Green Globe, to name just a few. He has also served as the assistant secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Of late, Lipman has been busy with yet a new organization called the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) as well as spearheading a global tourism initiative called “Green Earth.” I recently sat down with Lipman in Las Vegas during the recently held World Routes 2013 for an exclusive chat, as part of our interactive programming called eTN 2.0. This new feature aims to bring the industry closer together and facilitate an even more dynamic interactions among industry stakeholders. Significantly, this is your industry inasmuch as the people and events that we cover. Through eTN 2.0, you are encouraged take part in the discourse. Connect with us and the stories, people and events that we feature. The information you need to do so is provided at the end of every eTN 2.0 story.

In the below interview, Lipman discusses the growing pains of ICTP as well as its vision and plans. You may also find what he has to say about current events (such as the Egypt situation, the US government shutdown, economic shift towards the East, China as a superpower, the creation of Brand USA, etc.) and views on previous affiliations (such as the UNWTO, WTTC and ST-EP) of particular interest, if not downright controversial. The man is never one to be shy to say what he has to say and being vocal is certainly one of his strong suits. Listen for yourself by clicking on the video below:

eTN 2.0 gets you connected with the author of the story and the interviewee, making good on our promise to bring you a medium that is interconnected, influential and impactful. Nelson Alcantara can be reached via email at [email protected] and Geoffrey Lipman at [email protected].

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Nell Alcantara

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