Brussels, 06/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - The 6th annual conference of the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) will be held in Washington on 10-12 April under the slogan “Open Mind, Open World”. The aim is to show travelling as a means of cultural exchange and to examine ways of strengthening the economies concerned through increasing the numbers of business and leisure trips. Although the travel and tourism industry generated more than 10% of the world's GDP in 2005, its importance has not yet been recognised, stressed WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten. “Our industry created more than 200 million jobs last year (…) Our industry is truly a force for social change and sustainable development,” said Mr Baumgarten in a press release. Six different sessions will be organised over the three days of discussions, with themes ranging from the ageing population (and the change in tourism requirements) to the promise of new technologies and the repercussions of terrorist outrages on the travel industry.