04/10/2022

Press Releases

Ministers’ Summit challenges sector to rethink tourism industry at World Travel Market London


Events

Tourism leaders from across the globe will convene again for the Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market London, 7-9 November 2022.

The summit, which is organised in association with UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) will facilitate a debate around ways to reimagine the sector’s future - driving its economic development while tackling the climate crisis.

The world’s largest annual gathering of tourism ministers will take place on Tuesday 8 November 2022 during World Travel Market – the foremost global event for the travel industry, where ‘The Future of Travel Starts Now’.

Ministers, industry bosses, youth representatives and experts are being invited to take part in the summit, entitled ‘Rethinking Tourism’.

Since 2007, World Travel Market London and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) have worked together to host the top-level annual summit, focusing on key opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

The 2022 Summit will provide a timely forum for the UNWTO, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and government ministers, representing every region across the world, to join tourism leaders from the private sector to share ideas, shape future policies and support recovery.

Zeinab Badawi, BBC World News journalist will moderate the summit, bringing together both the public and private sector, to ensure a fair but thought-provoking discussion is had.

Juliette Losardo, WTM London Exhibition Director, said:

“This will be the 16th Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market, bringing policy makers together to debate with private sector leaders and youth representatives – all of them sharing their vision for the future of our sector.

“We will ask how we tackle the major threats to the industry’s recovery after the upheaval and consequences of the pandemic – and how ministers can support tourism businesses and destinations to realise their enormous potential. 

“Last year’s summit looked at ways to create a more sustainable future and this year’s event will build on that progress, examining how we can balance our climate responsibilities with the need to develop tourism jobs and economic opportunities.

“The summit will offer a chance for new voices with fresh ideas – those offering technological solutions and young people with innovative outlooks.

“We need to ensure that young people are included in the decision-making process and taking active roles in shaping the way our sector evolves.”

UNWTO, as the United Nations agency for tourism, is leading the conversation as the sector looks to build a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable sector.

It helped shape the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, which launched officially at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) last November and has attracted more than 600 signatories in less than a year.

In July, the UNWTO held its Global Youth Tourism Summit, which concluded with the launch of the Sorrento Call to Action, a bold and ground-breaking vision for young people to be active participants in tourism’s sustainable, inclusive recovery.

Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General, said:
“We’ve taken great strides since last year’s ministers’ summit, thanks to developments such as the Glasgow Declaration and Global Youth Tourism Summit.

“This year’s ministers’ summit at WTM will consolidate our progress and help formulate far-reaching strategies and action to ensure all regions and all sectors in tourism can build back in a responsible and successful way.”

WTTC recently launched its Net Zero Roadmap for the global travel and tourism sector, which will support the industry in combatting climate change. The roadmap provides concrete guidelines and recommendations to help guide businesses on their journey towards net zero.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, added:
“The annual Ministers’ Summit is a unique chance to ask the most important questions about how the travel and tourism sector of tomorrow will look – and to find solutions to enable us to achieve our goals and ambitions.

“The travel and tourism sector is a catalyst for meaningful climate action and emissions reduction, as evidenced by our ground breaking Net Zero Roadmap supporting our sector’s drive toward net zero.”

Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market, in association with UNWTO and WTTC - Rethinking Tourism - takes place on Tuesday 8 November 2022, on World Travel Market London’s Future Stage from 10.30-12.30.

Register here

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Photography from previous WTM shows is available to download via the following link: https://wtm.mediafiler.net/wtm/start/index

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events, online portals and virtual platforms across four continents. The events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. The show facilitates business connections for the global (leisure) travel community. Senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating travel industry contracts.

Next live event: Monday 7 to 9 November 2022 at ExCel London

http://london.wtm.com/

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 30th year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2022 attracted over 23,000 visitors and hosted over 30,000 participants including 1,500 exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai

Next in-person event: Monday 1 to Thursday 4 May 2023, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai

https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html    

Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2023. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes ILTM Arabia, ARIVAL Dubai, Influencers’ events and activations, ITIC, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country forums.

https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html     

WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.

Next event: Monday April 3rd to Wednesday 5th April 2023 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil

http://latinamerica.wtm.com/

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa.  In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.

Next event: Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 April 2023 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/

About ATW Connect:  Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.

https://atwconnect.com/

WTM Global Hub, is the new WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/

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