WTTC Global Summit Showed the World How Major Live Corporate Events and Conferences Can be Staged Safely

The world’s leading Tourism Ministers joined together to urge the public and private sectors to work together in partnership to save Travel & Tourism at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Release time : 2021-05-19 19:30:45

source : Travel Daily News

agreement by all those attending that collaboration and cooperation between the public and private sector, would lead the way for revival of international travel.

“This will be critical to powering the world’s recovery, so we are indebted to those ministers who joined us today to be part of this amazing event and help kickstart our Global Summit and energise the sector to unite and make a difference.”

Among those participating in WTTC’s Global Leaders Dialogue were Harry Theocharis, Minister of Tourism, Greece who championed the public sector’s lead to provide a roadmap out of the COVID-19 Crisis.

Kevin McAleenan, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, said it was vital the international community laid down parameters and followed through at the governmental level, advocating a pragmatic risk-management approach to resuscitate international travel.

Portuguese Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, said the sector must avoid taking short-term decisions and instead advocated the development of a long-term strategy by government and private companies. Colombian Vice Minister of Tourism, Julián Guerrero Orozco, warned against the prolonged use of ‘health passports’, which create a danger of first and second class travellers and become a real barrier to travel. Also participating were Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés Verelst, Nicole Marrder, Minister of Tourism of Honduras and Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica.

Mexico was represented by Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez, Governor of Quintana Roo and Federal Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués.

The private sector was represented by some of the world’s top Travel & Tourism companies, including Andrea Grisdale, Chief Executive Officer and Sole Founder of IC Bellagio and Dan Richards, Chief Executive Officer of Global Rescue.

Fawaz Farooqui, Managing Director of Cruise Saudi also participated

, along with Kike Sarasola, President & Founder of Room Mate, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of Airports Council International (ACI) and Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio di Balsorano de Clunieres, Chairman of Abercrombie & Kent. Under the theme “Uniting the World for Recovery”, the Global Summit made history by becoming the first global Travel & Tourism event where leaders gathered in person since the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the sector and brought most major events around the world to a grinding halt in March 2020.