Valetta, Malta. Photo: Shutterstock The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has unveiled the full program for its 26th Global Summit, bringing more than 100 speakers to Valletta, Malta, for two days of discussions on the future of the global travel industry.
Taking place under the theme “FUTU[RE]SET,” the summit will bring together government ministers, business executives, tourism officials, policymakers and representatives of international organizations from around the world.
The program will focus on eight areas identified by WTTC as key priorities for the sector: safer and more seamless travel, destination stewardship, sustainability, artificial intelligence and emerging technology, crisis preparedness, connectivity, workforce development and investment.
Photo: ShutterstockArtificial intelligence and technology will feature prominently, with sessions including “AI Unlocked: The New Era of Travel” and “Digital Identity: Resetting the Border Experience.” Other discussions will examine destination growth, mobility, resilience, tourism SMEs and investment.
The summit will also launch the WTTC Youth Movement, bringing around 90 students and 10 professors from 16 partner institutions and more than 30 nationalities into discussions with industry leaders.
Another focus will be WTTC's Together in Travel initiative, which aims to build a global community supporting small and medium-sized tourism businesses. WTTC says SMEs account for around 85% of the global Travel & Tourism community.
Other sessions will look at luxury and wellness tourism, accessibility, Europe's competitiveness, emerging tourism markets including India, next-generation leadership and the changing investment landscape.
The summit will open with senior Maltese officials including Prime Minister Robert Abela, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela and Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallef. They will be joined by WTTC Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio and President and CEO Gloria Guevara.
Among the high-profile political figures confirmed are former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar. European Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, as well as tourism ministers from Italy, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Türkiye, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries, are also on the program.
The business delegation includes senior executives from major travel and tourism companies. Hilton CEO Christopher J. Nassetta, IHG Hotels & Resorts Global CEO Elie Maalouf, MSC Group Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun, Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths, ITA Airways CEO Jörg Eberhart and Capital A Group CEO Tony Fernandes are among those scheduled to participate.
The event will conclude with a session featuring Guevara, Lefebvre d'Ovidio and Micallef before WTTC announces the destination that will host its 2027 Global Summit.