"Building Bridges to a Sustainable Future" will be the theme and agenda for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 23rd Global Summit taking place in Kigali, Rwanda November 1-3, 2023. Being hosted in Africa for the first time, the year’s Global Summit will recognize the growth the travel and tourism sector has witnessed across the continent in recent years.
With sessions on resilience and sustainable growth, the growing impact of artificial intelligence and understanding new and emerging markets, the Global Summit is set to cover the key challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Julia Simpson, WTTC president & CEO, said, "This Global Summit is a rallying cry for leaders, innovators and change-makers from all corners of the globe to come together and craft a new vision for the sector." She added: “Africa is the perfect venue for our Global Summit, as the sector embarks on a significant new chapter. Africa has the world’s youngest population and by 2033, $1 in every $13 created in Africa, will come from travel & tourism and 1 in 17 jobs will be in travel & tourism. This demonstrates the huge potential the continent’s sector has for new jobs and new economic growth for young people across Africa.”
Francis Gatare, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, said: “We are proud to host the first ever WTTC Global Summit in Africa. While this important gathering will take place in Rwanda, it is for the whole continent. Africa has some of the most spectacular tourism properties and experiences in the world, and the sector plays a significant role in the continent’s continued economic development by creating millions of jobs."
“This year’s WTTC Global Summit will provide a great platform to build bridges across the tourism and travel ecosystem, and co-design a sustainable future for the sector to achieve its full potential,” he added.
The latest Economic Impact Research from the global tourism body reveals a staggering 10-year forecast for Africa’s travel and tourism sector. In 2033, WTTC predicts that the travel & tourism sector will contribute more than $300 billion to Africa’s economy and jobs in the sector will grow significantly, reaching more than 36 million in total. In Rwanda, WTTC is forecasting that by 2033 the travel and tourism sector will contribute more than $2.1 billion to the national economy and will support almost 568,000 jobs. This is testament to Rwanda’s commitment to sustainable tourism, diversifying the experiences it offers, and promoting awareness of its rich biodiversity, culture and heritage, and art.
For more details about the summit, visit wttc.org. To discover more about Rwanda, go to visitrwanda.com.
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