The world’s leading private and public sector tourism leaders took a united stand to safely restart international travel at the closure of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit.

They used the prestigious forum to share their experiences from the last 12 devastating months, which had ravaged the Travel & Tourism sector, and discussed how together they could safely restart international travel, whilst looking to an even more sustainable and inclusive future of the sector. The Global Summit also named Carnival Corporation President and CEO, Arnold Donald, as new chair of WTTC, which represents the global private Travel & Tourism sector.

Donald took over from outgoing chair, Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton, after three successful years at the helm of WTTC. Following the huge success of the three-day Cancun Global Summit, WTTC announced Manila, capital of the Philippines, will be the host of its next Global Summit, with dates to be confirmed.

Hundreds of the world’s foremost business leaders, government ministers and key decision-makers from across the global travel sector gathered together in Mexico, to discuss the road to recovery for the embattled sector.

In a world-first, WTTC organised the event for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic – with tens of thousands more joining virtually – while complying with strict world-class health and hygiene protocols. Regular testing was made available for all delegates attending for the duration of the summit to ensure their safety was paramount.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and CEO said: “WTTC brought together exceptional leaders from across the private and public sectors throughout Travel & Tourism at our Global Summit, united in their desire to safely revive international travel. Our very presence here, shows that we can resume international travelling once more, by observing the latest health and safety protocols, which WTTC has helped develop for businesses large and small throughout the sector.”