All eyes on Asia as biggest growth area for tourism

Asia boasts breathtaking tourist hubs New research has put the size of the global travel and tourism industry double that of automotive manufucturing, and about a third larger than chemicals manufacturing. The World Travel and Tourism Council said it is an industry that sustains 255 million jobs around the world.
The World Travel and Tourism Council began its 12th Global Summit by looking back at Japan\'s experience in handling the March 11 earthquake last year.
East Japan Railway, for instance, was proud of the fact that there were zero deaths and injuries involving its trains, even though it carries the largest number of passengers in the world.
Still, it went ahead with an upgrade of its network of seismometers.
Japan is also taking steps to boost visitor numbers - hosting more international conferences and by promoting other areas outside of Tokyo and Osaka.
Tourism is regarded as the third most important driver of the world economy with one billion travelling across the board. And it is vital that people in the industry address various issues such as natural disasters, pandemics and even terrorism.
Raymond N Bickson, managing director & CEO, The Indian Hotels Company, said: \"We\'re in today\'s world where there\'s terrorism, attacks as we\'ve experienced (in India), a tsunami in Bali in 2005, the earthquake and tsunami here (in Japan).
\"You learn a lot from understanding how different countries handle crises in different situations. That\'s one of the biggest takeaways for me going back to India.\"
Noriko Abe is one of the first time participants at the WTTC global summit. She and her family run hotels and factories in the quake and tsunami-devastated Miyagi Prefecture.
Her disappointment with the Japanese authorities\' response to the crisis led her to seek for alternative support.
\"I learned this time that there\'s such a wonderful organisation, and that it can act quickly in the event of disasters,\" she said.
The gathering attracted more than 1,000 participants, and it identified Asia as the biggest growth area for tourism.
David Scowsill, president and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council, said: \"The next 10 years will be a huge shift to the Asia Pacific in what\'s happening in travelling and tourism generally. Just growth out of China alone means in 10 years time, China and India combined will account for one third of the tourism industry.\"
The travel and tourism industry in Europe is expected to shrink, while the outlook for the US remains stagnant.