During the closing session of its Global Summit in Manila, The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced its 22nd event will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, from November 29 to December 2 this year.
More than a thousand participants met in Manila to debate how to build on the ongoing recovery, including the world’s top business leaders, government ministers, and key decision-makers from across the global Travel & Tourism sector.
“It has been a privilege to bring together so many leaders from across the global Travel & Tourism sector to the beautiful city of Manila,” Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, stated in her parting address.
“This Summit is living proof that nothing beats getting together, sharing ideas, debating the challenges, and finding consensus.
“We still have a lot of work to do to bring down post-pandemic barriers, open economies and harmonise health data for seamless travel. But the future looks bright, and the next decade is there for the taking.
“We look forward to our 22nd Global Summit later this year in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to mark the next chapter in the sector’s ongoing recovery.”
Saudi Tourism Authority CEO and Board Member Fahd Hamidaddin said: “We are excited to welcome the world to experience the excitement and the energy of Saudi. We promise you that the next summit will be fresh, inspiring, and rewarding.”
Tourism ministers and Travel & Tourism leaders from around the world reaffirmed their commitment to increased collaboration and alignment between the public and private sectors under the subject of ‘Rediscovering Travel.’
At the WTTC’s Global Leaders Dialogue, they discussed how the sector will continue to adapt to COVID-19 and emerge resilient from the pandemic.
According to WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report, the Travel & Tourism sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs over the next decade, and its contribution to GDP could reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
WTTC’s significant ‘Hotel Sustainability Basics’ sustainability project was introduced at its Global Summit, serving as a starting point for driving sustainability throughout the hospitality sector and fueling the momentum toward responsible travel and tourism.
In collaboration with Microsoft, the international body also released a new cyber resilience study, ‘Codes to resilience,’ for the global Travel & Tourism sector, which outlined pillars to strengthen cyber security for businesses all over the world.
Bear Grylls, a British adventurer, was the conference’s keynote speaker, along with Lawrence Bender, an American film producer, Kevin Kwan, a Singapore-born American novelist and satirist, and Melati Wijsen, an Indonesian/Dutch environmental activist.
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