WTTC Summit Ends on a High Note in Seville

The World Travel and Tourism Council came to a close in Spain’s Seville after addressing the challenges and opportunities facing tourism today.

The invited leaders gave their perspectives on the world of communications, technology and sustainability and talked about the challenges and opportunities for the travel and tourism sector “as a leading force for change.”

In the same way, this summit served to demonstrate the extraordinary economic and tourist potential of the Andalusian capital, offering a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to know the possibilities of investment in the city. On the other hand, it allowed tourists to recognize the city of Seville as a tourist destination of global importance.

The list of speakers of the event consisted of leaders of the public and private sector, as well as academics and representatives of different organizations on an international scale.

Yet, the most anticipated guest of all was Barack Obama, who delivered Wednesday an address on the important role played by the travel and tourism sector as one of the largest economic sectors in the world.

“I wanted to understand him and understand the land he was from,” Obama explained to a crowd of travel and tourism professionals, business leaders and government officials at the World Travel & Tourism Council's 2019 Global Summit in Seville, Spain, yesterday during an intimate discussion with Christopher J. Nassetta, WTTC chairman and president/CEO of Hilton.

During the summit, attendees also examined global urban readiness in the face of tourism growth. Findings from the World Travel & Tourism Council and JLL’s comprehensive index, “Destination 2030: Global cities’ readiness for tourism growth,” addressed the question of what makes a city ready for tourism growth.

Destination 2030 measures and categorises 50 global gateway cities into one of five levels of “readiness” and provides actionable solutions to foster sustainable growth in tourism activity.

Every year, WTTC, which represents the global private sector of tourism, holds its Global Summit in a different city around the world. The 2019 WTTC Global Summit took place in Seville, Spain, and was hosted by the Seville City Hall, Turismo Andaluz and Turespaña.

The World Travel & Tourism Council has announced the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico as the destination for its 2020 Global Summit. The event is set to take place from April 21st-23rd next year.