Brussels, 07/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Following comments by the French President, Jacques Chirac, on introducing a tax on air tickets in France next year, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has issued a press release arguing that it would be inappropriate for a specific industry to serve as a way of collecting funding for development aid, since this would create additional costs for the industry, which is already facing great challenges particularly from the hike in oil prices. The WTTC points out that the travel and tourism industry generates more than 10% of global GDP and employed more than 220 million people in 2005. It argues that encouraging people to travel has a beneficial effect on developing countries' economies, not just in Africa but also in Asia and Latin America and in virtually all countries. It urges governments to encourage people to travel rather than tax them when they travel.