With a focus on pressing issues like security, crisis preparedness and sustainable growth, this year’s World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Summit in Buenos Aires was an illuminating event on the future of the travel and tourism industry.
The WTTC is a group comprised of top executives in the travel and tourism sector around the globe. Travel and tourism is a major worldwide industry, contributing over 10 per cent of the world’s GDP—a greater contribution than the automotive and chemical manufacturing sectors combined—as well as 10 per cent of all jobs around the globe. What’s more, the industry is expected to keep growing over the next decade, with 30 million new jobs on the horizon.
With such a powerful impact on the world, it’s critical that the industry be committed to growing sustainable and sensibly. This is the vision of the WTTC—to create responsible partnerships that maximize the sustainable growth of the travel and tourism industry for a better world.
As a Global Member of the WTTC, our CEO Robin Ingle was thrilled to take part in this year’s Summit and contribute his expertise as a speaker.
Talking changes in travel and tourism
At this year’s Summit, Robin joined a discussion panel titled, “Cybersecurity: Are you ahead of the curve?” Check out the video of the discussion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQ1lC2cZzE
With the many new technologies available to the travel and tourism industry, the issue of cyber security is front of mind and constantly evolving. Along with moderator Matt Vella from Time Magazine and fellow panelists Nick Fishwick from HSBC, Dee Waddell from IBM, and Adam Weissenberg from Deloitte, Robin discussed how we can be prepared for the security threats that new technology brings to the sector, with the aim of ensuring traveler safety and the resilience of the industry.
The panel was just one of a number of fascinating conversations held at this year’s Summit. For more highlights of the event, check out this video from the WTTC website: Global Summit 2018 Highlights.
Focusing on sustainability
Sustainable development was another subject for discussion at this year’s event. The WTTC not only encourages sustainability within the industry but is also a platform for responsible development. This was demonstrated at this year’s event through the launch of the WTTC’s Declaration against Illegal Wildlife Trade, which both takes a stand against illegal wildlife tourism and promotes responsible wildlife-based tourism.
The WTTC also hosts the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, where it recognizes organizations in the industry who work to the highest ethical standards. The awards encourage both environmental protections and the socio-economic well-being of people around the world.
Putting this commitment to sustainability into action, this year’s WTTC Summit was followed by a volunteer event jointly organized by WTTC and Tourism Cares. Robin Ingle joined other attendees of the summit to help transform a Buenos Aires ecological park into a sustainable educational facility by planting native trees, restoring a historic bridge, and putting together educational brochures.
With the example of this year’s WTTC Summit, the future of the travel and tourism industry looks bright indeed.
