Visa facilitation can create five million jobs in G20 economies

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), visa facilitation is central to stimulating economic growth and job creation through tourism. Preliminary findings show that 656 million tourists visited G20 countries in 2011, with 110 million of them needing a visa. Millions more were deterred from travelling due to the cost, waiting time, and difficulty of obtaining a visa.

Great strides have been made in the past decades to facilitate tourist travel, but there are still important areas of opportunity. There are many possibilities for maximizing use of information and communication technologies in improving visa procedures. Improving the delivery of information and instituting eVisa programs are more examples of measures that can be taken to create jobs and encourage tourist travel.

The UNWTO estimates that over 5 million jobs in the G20 economies could be created by facilitating visas for these tourists. An additional $206 billion in tourism receipts could be generated by 2015. Clearly, this presents a great opportunity that many are looking to capitalize on. One such person is UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, who had this to say: “Small steps towards visa facilitation can result in big economic benefits. By facilitating visas, the G20 countries stand to gain five million jobs at a time of rampant unemployment across the world. These are in addition to the hundreds of millions of direct and indirect jobs already being supported every day by the sector.”

This latest report has brought to light the extent of this opportunity that has presented itself. It is simply too big of an opportunity to be ignored any longer. It will be interesting to see if the Governments of G20 countries will look into enhancing visa facilitation in support of job creation. Let’s hope so.

February 7th is National Fettuccini Alfredo Day!

Today, on this glorious 7^th day of February, we commemorate the invention of the world famous Fettuccine Alfredo dish. I am willing to bet that most of you did not even know that we had a national Fettuccine Alfredo Day. But lo and behold, February 7^th of every year is deemed the day to celebrate this wonderful dish.

Italian restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio created Fettuccini Alfredo in 1914 to help his wife regain her appetite after the birth of their first son. Its popularity in the USA stems from Hollywood stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks returning to the States after dining at Di Lelio’s restaurant on their honeymoon. Upon their return, they spread the word like wildfire about this new incredible dish. Before we knew it, Fettuccini Alfredo became one of the most popular dishes in America and remains so to this day.

Celebrate the legacy of Alfredo di Lelio and his creation by heading to your favorite Italian restaurant tonight and enjoying this dish. Or even better, if you are feeling more adventurous, prepare your own version at home and enjoy with friends and family. With all your newly acquired knowledge about the dish, you will assuredly liven up the party with all these fun facts!

 

Here is a quick and easy recipe from Giada De Laurentiis:

 

 

Ingredients

• 18 ounces fresh fettuccine
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cups grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

 

Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.