About the Authors

Selim Ach Selim Ach is Economic Modeler at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). He is in charge of managing and analyzing air transport economic data and contributes to the writing of several economic publications of the Association. Before joining IATA, Mr Ach worked for six years as a consultant within the air transport industry and participated in a number of European projects for Airbus, Eurocontrol, and the French civil aviation research center of air navigation. He was involved in several economic and statistical analyses as well as in operational studies in the field of air transport infrastructure, more specifically in air traffic management and air traffic control. Mr Ach obtained a BSc in Econometrics and a Master of Air Transportation Economics from the University of Toulouse and the French school of civil aviation (ENAC), France. Rashid Bashir Rashid Bashir is an experienced Economist and he leads Deloitte UKs Policy Economics Practice. He has over 10 years experience in economic analysis, modeling, and evidence-based policymaking, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. He has a strong track record in innovating and in tackling some of the most challenging economic policy issues (such as globalization, climate change, and economic competitiveness). He has led economic impact assessments in the Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure industry, including the recent Deloitte study on the Economic Case for the Visitor Economy in the UK, where he applied the tourism economic impact framework. Prior to joining Deloitte, Mr Bashir was Head of Policy and Economics for one of the regional development agencies in the United Kingdom, where he led regional economic development and sector growth strategies. Jennifer Blanke Jennifer Blanke is Director and Senior Economist, and Head of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum. Since joining the team in 2002, she has written and lectured extensively on issues related to national competitiveness and has served as a lead editor on a number of regional and topical competitiveness reports, including The Global Enabling Trade Report, The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, and The Lisbon Review. From 1998 to 2002, she was Senior Programme Manager responsible for developing the business, management, and technology sections of the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting in Davos. Before joining the Forum, Dr Blanke worked for a number of years as a management consultant for Eurogroup, Mazars Group in Paris, France, where she specialized in banking and financial market organization. Dr Blanke obtained a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and an MA and a PhD in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva).

Thea Chiesa Thea Chiesa is Associate Director and Head of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at the World Economic Forum. She has a background in business development and strategic planning in the aerospace/telecom industry, having spent nine years working with Telespazio both as part of Telecom Italia and Finmeccanica. She was part of the founding team of TVFiles SpA, an Italian telecommunication startup offering satellite broadband services to the media, pharmaceutical, and 3G industries, where she held the role of business development and was responsible for the relations with the European Union and the European Space Agency. At the Forum, she has developed an expertise in the Travel & Tourism industry, having headed the community for seven years. Coupled with her background in advanced communications systems, Ms Chiesa has developed a passion for the Travel & Tourism industry. She is currently working with key government and industry leaders in developing strategies and implementing innovative projects in the fields of T&T competitiveness and climate change as well as rebranding campaigns. Ms Chiesa has a BSc in Management from Boston College and a Master in International Relations from Boston University. She is an alumna of the World Economic Forums Global Leadership Fellows Programme. Larry Dwyer Larry Dwyer is Qantas Professor of Travel and Tourism Economics in the Australian School of Business at the University of New South Wales. Professor Dwyer publishes widely in the areas of tourism economics, management, and policy. He maintains strong links with the tourism industry at international, national, state, and local levels. Professor Dwyer is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Business Enterprises for Sustainable Tourism Education Network (BESTEN), the Centre for Tourism Economics and Policy within the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, and the Standards of Excellence Assessment Panel of THE-ICE (International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education). He is a founding member and Vice President of the International Association for Tourism Economics and an appointed member of the editorial boards of 20 international tourism journals. In 2007, he was appointed Fellow of the International Academy for Study of Tourism, the worlds peak academic tourism association.

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 2009 World Economic Forum

About the Authors

489

About the Authors

Peter Forsyth Peter Forsyth has been Professor of Economics at Monash University since 1997. Most of his research has been on transport economics, especially the economics of air transport and tourism economics. He has published several papers on airport regulation, and has recently published a jointly edited book on Airport Slots (Airport Slots: International Experiences and Options for Reform, Ashgate, 2008). Professor Forsyth has been a frequent speaker at the Hamburg Aviation Conference, and in 2005 he delivered the Martin Kunz Memorial Lecture. He has also done substantial research on tourism economics and policy. His research has covered measurement of the benefits of tourism, the assessment of international price competitiveness of tourism industries, and the taxation of tourism. Recent work has involved using computable general equilibrium models in analyzing tourism and aviation policy issues. Current research includes climate change policies and their impact on aviation, and developing models to assess the implications of climate change policies, such as the Australian Governments Emissions Trading Scheme, for the tourism industry. Amit Gautam Amit Gautam is an Associate with Booz & Company, based in Amsterdam. He has led projects in the Aviation, Travel and Tourism sector in sustainability, cost restructuring, and strategy development in Europe and the United States. Since June 2008, he has been leading the multistakeholder dialogue at the World Economic Forum on the Travel and Tourism Climate change project. Prior to joining Booz & Company, Mr Gautam worked at GE Aircraft Engines as a design engineer. Mr Gautam holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay and and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, United States. He was contributing author to the US business bestseller Make or Break: How Manufacturers Can Leap from Decline to Revitalization (McGraw Hill, 2008). Amir Girgis Amir Girgis is an Economist at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). In close partnership with Oxford Economics, Mr Girgis is involved in the production of WTTCs 181 annual economic impact TSA reports. He is further involved in creating, updating, and training TSA teams across the globe. Mr Girgis travels extensively, promoting concrete economic research as well as reaching out to governments and universities across the world to build awareness of the industry. He obtained a First Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Southampton and a Master in Economics from Warwick University. Heather Hancock Heather Hancock is the Managing Partner for Innovation and Brand in Deloitte UK, and a Consulting Partner. She is the firms Lead Client Service Partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and leads Deloittes firm-wide services in regional development. In addition, Mrs Hancock heads Deloitte UKs Public Sector Strategy Consulting business and is a member of the UK Executive. Mrs Hancock brings extensive experience in delivering challenging projects in tight timescales and in the public eye. Her skill lies in understanding and anticipating the political and public dimensions of challenging projectsmanaging stakeholders and external expectations while keeping delivery on track. Her record demonstrates

her talent for championing highly aspirational projects and finding creative approaches to deliver them. Mrs Hancocks CV before she began working at Deloitte is notable for her senior roles across the public sector: the youngest ever member of the Senior Civil Service in 1992; Accounting Officer for The Millennium Commission; Chief Executive of a special local authority; and Executive Director of a regional development agency. Ashraf Ibrahim Ashraf Ibrahim has been the President and Owner of Clever Travel since 1998. He is a member in the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council's (ENCC) Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Council and was previously a TVET Consultant, Trainer and Professor of Hospitality Management at the American University in Cairo. Before opening his private business, he spent 15 years working with Sheraton Hotels in Egypt. His positions included Sales Executive, Training Manager, Boat Manager for Sheraton Nile Cruises, and Training Director. He is a member of the Travel, Tourism & Aviation Committee in Egyptian Junior Businessmen (EJB), the Training Committee of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, and the Training Committee of the Egyptian Travel Agents Association. Ufi Ibrahim As Chief Operating Officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Ufi Ibrahim is responsible for the successful realization of the Councils mission, aims, and objectives. Working directly with the leaders of industry, Ms Ibrahim oversees the articulation and the implementation of the Councils unique mandate to raise awareness of the importance of the industry. Ms Ibrahim works with heads of state and government, and with cabinet ministers and their teams, advising on tourism policy and sustainable development. Under her supervision, WTTC has issued special reports for governments around the world. Ms Ibrahim has developed the establishment of the Annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit, which she continues to lead. The Summit is the industrys most prestigious gathering for discussions that shape future policies. As the author of the Summit program, she also works closely with industry leaders to define the key topics for dialogue in the signature Round, whose creation she led. Prior to joining WTTC, Ms Ibrahim had been in charge of the American Express Global Passport and Visa Unit. During her eight years in this role, Ms Ibrahim became a specialist on immigration policy. In 1999, she advised a United Nations (UNWTO)led project on the facilitation of travel through easing of visa restrictions in countries along the Silk Route, as a means of accelerating economic and social progression in the countries concerned. Ms Ibrahim graduated with honors from the London Metropolitan University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Leisure & Tourism Management studies. Ms Ibrahim has recently graduated (December 2008) with distinction in her MBA from the Open University; her thesis discussed competitive differentiation through knowledge management in organizations.

490

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 2009 World Economic Forum

John Kester John Kester is Chief of the Market Intelligence & Promotion Department at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), where he has worked since 1999. He is involved in the preparation of the yearly Tourism Market Trends series of regional reports, and has contributed to several occasional documents such as the report Tourism Generating Markets: Overview and Country Profiles and various reports prepared by UNWTO in the framework of the Tourism Recovery Committee. He has also been in charge of the final editing of the various volumes of the UNWTOs long-term forecast study Tourism 2020 Vision. Since its inception in 2003, he has been involved in the development of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, a publication aimed at monitoring the short-term evolution of tourism, issued three times a year. He also regularly collaborates on the preparation of news releases, as well as on the Facts & Figures section of the UNWTO website. Previously, Mr Kester worked in the UNWTO at the Statistics, Economic Analysis and Market Research section. Before joining the UNWTO, he worked for seven years at Statistics Netherlands as a researcher in the field of socio-cultural statistics. Mr Kester graduated in Social Science with a specialization in research methodology and data analysis from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. Alex Kyriakidis Alex Kyriakidis is Global Managing Partner of Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure at Deloitte and is based in Dubai. He has 34 years of experience providing strategic, attest, financial, and integration services to travel, hospitality, and leisure companies. As the partner in charge of the Global Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure Industry program at Deloitte, Mr Kyriakidis strengths include an in-depth understanding of the industry trends that impact the performance of the industry. He has advised many of the most prominent travel and hospitality companies on strategy, M&A transactions, and risk management. In addition, Mr Kyriakidis has also served as the Lead Client Service Partner for a number of major Hospitality & Leisure companies in Europe and worldwide, including Dubai Holdings, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, and Global Hyatt. He has represented the firm in its partnership with the World Economic Forum on Travel & Tourism. Mr Kyriakidis has also led global teams on major M&A transactions, including the sale of InterContinental, Le Meridien, and the sale/manage-back of the InterContinental Hotels Group UK asset portfolio of 75 UK hotels. Geoffrey Lipman Geoffrey Lipman is Assistant Secretary General and Spokesperson of UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization. He is Chair of the Advisory Board of the DeHaan Institute at Nottingham University in the United Kingdom, Adjunct Professor at Victoria University and Griffith University in Australia, and Senior Tourism Research Fellow at George Washington University in the United States. He was the first President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), from 1990 to 1999. He was the Chair of Green Globe from 2000 to 2007; prior to that, he was Executive Director of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he worked from 1966 to 1985; he was also a Founding Partner in Global Aviation Associates, specializing in aviation government relations and competition. Professor Lipman has written and lectured around the

world on tourism strategy, sustainability, and airline liberalization; co-authored books on opening up European aviation; and established a Think Tank on Free Trade in the Air. He has been a member of two European Union High Level Commissionson Airline Liberalization and on Tourism Employmentas well as a member of the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Development, the President of Zambias Business Advisory Council, and the Ethiopia Think Tank. He is a Fellow of the Tourism Society. Simon Oaten Simon Oaten is an Assistant Director in the Deloitte UK Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure group, with over eight years of experience advising and supporting hospitality and leisure businesses. He has worked at a senior level with some of the leading players across the industry in the United Kingdom, Europe, and globally. Mr Oaten brings a considerable breadth of experience in the sector across strategy, business planning, market review, economic impact assessment, and financial and commercial due diligence engagements. In the last 24 months, Mr Oaten has worked extensively in the Middle East, leading large complex strategy and business planning projects. Brian Pearce Brian Pearce is Chief Economist of International Air Transport Association (IATA). An economist with over 20 years of international experience in several industries, he was formerly Head of Global Economic Research at UBS Warburg and Chief Economist at Ernst & Young. Prior to joining IATA, Mr Pearce was involved in the UK Air Transport White Paper and in the discussion and design of policies to influence aviations impact on the environment. He also advised on the financial sectors role in promoting good corporate governance and responsibility and directed the initiative launched by the UK Prime Minister at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Before that he was Head of Global Economic Research at the investment bank SBC Warburg (now UBS), in Tokyo and then London. During this time he published extensively on international financial and economic issues and advised private- and public-sector clients in over 20 countries. As Chief Economist at Ernst & Youngs economic forecasting consultancy, the ITEM Club, he worked with the UK Treasurys and other econometric models to analyze public policy and forecast global economic prospects. He was frequently called on by television, radio, and the press to comment on government economic policy. Timm Pietsch Timm Pietsch is a Senior Research Analyst of Booz & Company, based in Dsseldorf, and a member of the companys global transportation group. As such, Dr Pietsch focuses on market assessments, competitive intelligence, and trend analysis on an international basis. His main areas of expertise include Travel & Tourism and passenger and freight transport across aviation, railways, and infrastructure sectors in European and Middle East geographies. Prior to joining Booz & Company in 2005, he worked as a journalist concentrating on passenger rail markets. Dr Pietsch holds an MA and a PhD from Dsseldorf University, Germany.

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 2009 World Economic Forum

About the Authors

491

About the Authors

Jrgen Ringbeck Jrgen Ringbeck is a Partner and Senior Vice President of Booz & Company, based in Dsseldorf. He is the Head of the Global Transportation Practice. Dr Ringbeck is a well recognized senior advisor in the European, Asian, and Middle East transportation industries, such as airlines, tourism operators, postal and logistics companies, and the railway industry. Since 2002, he has acted as a senior advisor to the World Economic Forum and leads the work of Booz & Company as a strategic partner of the Forums Aviation, Travel and Tourism group. Dr Ringbeck holds a diploma in Mathematics from the University of Mnster, Germany, and he obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Osnabrck, Germany. Before starting his career in management consulting, he worked as a Guest Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Ringbeck is the author of several business books (including the US business bestseller Do IT Smart) and numerous publications on business strategy, marketing, and IT management. He has received several international awards for his academic work. Eva Trujillo Herrera Eva Trujillo Herrera is a Research Analyst with the Global Competitiveness Network. Her responsibilities include the computation of a range of indexes as well as data analysis for various projects and studies. Her main areas of expertise are Global Politics and International Trade. Mrs Trujillo Herrera holds an MA in Applied Economics from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, in the United States. Prior to joining the Forum, she worked as a Consultant for the International Trade Center (ITC / WTO / UNCTAD) in Geneva, Switzerland. During her studies she was an Intern at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), also based in Geneva, helping with the Creative Industries Program. Heba Zayed Heba Zayed is currently working as the Deputy to the Executive Director of the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC). She has held the positions of Head of the Research Department at the Egyptian Banking Institute and Financial Markets Advisor to the Senior Financial Advisor of the Minister of Investment at the Egyptian Ministry of Investment. She obtained a Bachelor and a Master of Economics from the American University in Cairo, and is currently working on her PHD Thesis dissertation, entitled Institutional Restructuring of Financial Regulators: The Case of Egypt.

492

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 2009 World Economic Forum