Why Aren’t Any Travel Brands Considered Among the Best on Earth?
Skift Take
We wondered: If travel is one of the biggest industries in the entire world, why aren't any of its brands big enough for these annual lists? We found out there are a few reasons, and a few ways brands can begin to change that.
One thing we here at Skift often say is that travel is one of the world's largest industries, and that it truly has a global impact: it's the "global crucible for everything."
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism's contribution to the world GDP (gross domestic product) grew for the sixth consecutive year in 2015, to 9.8 percent of world GDP, which equates to about $7.2 trillion. Travel and tourism also employs 284 million people — one in 11 jobs on the planet.
But when it comes to global brand value rankings, the travel brands we are most familiar with — brands such as Marriott, Hilton, Delta Air Lines, Carnival Cruises, and Expedia — are noticeably absent for top 10, 50, or even 100 lists.
Just take a look at this year's Interbrand annual list of the Best Global Brands or Millward Brown and WPP's BrandZ list of the top 100 global brands, and you will find that there aren't any travel companies on the list.
Now, it should be noted
