WTTC event looks to the future of tourism
The latest World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit will look at the future of the industry by putting the focus on leadership, biometrics, crisis management and sustainable growth.
The 2018 event will take place in Buenos Aires on 18-19 April, and will see industry leaders from the public and private sectors discussing the theme of ‘Our People, Our World, Our Future’.
They will also debate how the sector is placed to create sustainable jobs in a future of transformational technology, increasing environmental pressures, and in a world where security concerns are paramount.
This year’s event is organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina and the National Institute for Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR), the tourism agency of the city of Buenos Aires, the Argentine Chamber of Tourism.
Gloria Guevara Manzo, WTTC’s president and CEO, said: “This year’s WTTC Global Summit will bring together CEOs, ministers and representatives of the highest level of international organisations around a very relevant programme that will highlight the enormous opportunity that Travel & Tourism offers our world.
Turning opportunity into reality
“We will discuss and debate the challenges we face to turn this opportunity into reality, and develop practical actions to ensure that our sector is an agent of positive change in the world. A country that is full of tourism potential, Argentina is the ideal place to have this focused, energetic and meaningful conversation.”
During the Summit, discussions will focus on how the sector is preparing for the ‘future of work’, which is driven more and more by technology.
In addition, speakers will reflect on the contribution of the sector to global sustainable development objectives. In addition, sessions will explore what is needed for Travel & Tourism growth to continue effectively and sustainably, including the use of technology such as biometrics to increase travel safety and thereby facilitate travel, better growth management, the industry’s response to climate change and how to increase resilience in the face of crises such as pandemics, terrorism and natural disasters.
Speakers range from leaders from the public and private sectors, to academics and international organisations who will provide a vision of how to forge a common future for tourism. They include:
- Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- Fang Liu, secretary general, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
- Manuel Muñiz, dean of the Faculty of International Relations, IE University
- Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
- John Scanlon, special envoy, African Parks
- Ministers from G20 countries
- CEOs and Leaders from WTTC Member companies including AirBnB, Abercrombie & Kent, Carnival Corporation, China Union Pay, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Deloitte & Touche, Dufry AG, Hilton, Hotelbeds Group, IBM, JTB Corp, Marriott International, Mastercard, McKinsey&Company, Thomas Cook Group, Travel Leaders Group, TUI Group, Value Retail, and Virtuoso
Complete information about the event, as well as its official programme, is available at www.wttc.org/summits/the-global-summit-2018/
