WTTC GLOBAL SUMMIT RIYADH 2022

????????????????????? Travel for the Better Future??????????

??????????By Erum Khan (Founder of Pakistan’s fist Sustainable Tourism company, Director Odyssey/ Tong Yaun, Chairperson Travel & Tourism GCCI, Travel Expert, Wellness travel adviser, SDG Consultant, Alumni/ Speaker National Security Workshop Balochistan & UN NGL Fellow)

Global leaders gathered in Riyadh for the World Travel and Tourism Global Summit organized by WTTC in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia from Nov. 28-Dec. 1 as the Kingdom steadily pursues its journey to evolve as a global tourist destination, in alignment with its Vision 2030 goals. Touted to be one of the biggest tourism events of the year, the global summit was being held under the theme “Travel for a Better Future.".

Opening Ceremony:

WTTC Global Summit Riyadh was formally started by the opening speeches by?Arnold Donald, Chair, WTTC & Vice Chair of the Board, Carnival Corporation H.E. Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Julia Simpson, President & Chief Executive Officer, World Travel & Tourism Council

The Summit was full of creative Panel discussions, provided the opportunity to define and refine key strategic initiatives to address the social, environmental, and economic challenges the sector faces. During the sessions, experts shared their views that by enhancing its resilience and prioritizing sustainable and inclusive growth, Travel & Tourism can continue to create shared prosperity for the global community. Few of the Summit’s most prominent speakers were: Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International, @Christopher J. Nasetta, President and CEO, Hilton Gilda Perez Akvarado, Global CEO, JLL Hotels and Hospitality, Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, Dirriyah Gate Development Authority, Federico J. Gonzales, CEO and President, Radisson Hotel Group, John Pagano , Group CEO, The Red Sea Development Company & AMAALA, John Selden, CEO, NEOM Airport Nadhmi Al Nasr, CEO, NEOM.

The Biggest Agenda in WTTC SUMMIT 2022: SAUDI 2030 VISION

Thousands of senior executives, policy makers, senior government officials, and hundreds of journalists and reporters had an opportunity to have a first look at the Saudi tourism vision, and it is truly gigantic.

Saudi Vision 2030 is a government-backed Tourism framework to diversify its economy from oil, encourage climate-friendly choices and develop public service sectors. Such initiatives include Neom, the Red Sea Development, and the cultural project in the city of AlUla.

?Diriyah Gate is in the spotlight at the Summit after announcing the opening of 16 luxury hotel brands at the €48 billion site, bringing the total number of confirmed hotels to 32. “Diriyah is the birthplace of the kingdom,” says CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Jerry Inzerillo., “So, everybody is going to want to see where the Arabian Peninsula once stood. The new Riyadh is going to be a 15 million metroplex. Diriyah is the jewel in the middle.”

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The Summit was full of creative Panel discussions, provided the opportunity to define and refine key strategic initiatives to address the social, environmental, and economic challenges the sector faces. During the sessions, experts shared their views that by enhancing its resilience and prioritizing sustainable and inclusive growth, Travel & Tourism can continue to create shared prosperity for the global community. Few of the Summit’s most prominent speakers were: Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International, Christopher J. Nasetta, President and CEO, Hilton Gilda Perez Akvarado, Global CEO, JLL Hotels and Hospitality, Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, Dirriyah Gate Development Authoritym, Federico J. Gonzales, CEO and President, Radisson Hotel Group, John Pagano, Group CEO, The Red Sea Development Company & AMAALA, John Selden, CEO, NEOM Airport Nadhmi Al Nasr, CEO, NEOM.

During the WTTC Summit, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said?that Saudi Arabia is evolving both as a rapidly developing destination and as a global partner which is driving change across the travel and tourism sector. He explained that the Kingdom is offering investment opportunities worth $6 trillion in the travel and tourism sector through to 2030.?

According to figures released by the Ministry of Investment, some 3.6 million visitors traveled to the Kingdom in the three months to the end of June, while the number of domestic tourists in Saudi also climbed by 42.3 percent to hit 21.4 million. The inbound tourist spending rose by 570 percent in the second quarter to SR15.7 billion ($4.18 billion), while domestic tourist spending increased by 31.5 percent to SR22.7 billion during the same period.?

Saudi Investment in Tourism Industry:

During the event, Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih told the audience that the ministry and the Public Investment Fund are supporting the tourism sector in the Kingdom, to accelerate the economic diversification strategy.?The National Tourism Strategy of Saudi Arabia is planning to attract 100 million tourists by the end of this decade, in line with the goals outlined in Vision 2030.?

Saudi Arabia is developing several projects as a part of its tourism strategy, and the most noted one is NEOM, the $500 billion future megacity, which will feature a nature reserve, coral reefs and heritage sites on several islands along the Red Sea, and Qiddiya.?

NEOM’s CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr, while speaking at WTTC Summit, said, “NEOM, the megacity has all the geographical advantages to emerge as a global tourism hub.?We are just two hours from Europe. Believe it or not, we see Africa within miles. We are a connection of three continents,”

RED SEA GLOBAL – THE BIGGEST Regenerative Tourism project in the world:

The world's most?ambitious and exciting tourism and hospitality?project Red Sea is a luxury destination created around?one of the world's last hidden natural?treasures, it is one of the projects backed by?the Public Investment Fund Saudi Arabia. The destination, which is being developed by Red Sea Global, sits over 28,000 km2 of pristine lands and waters and includes a vast archipelago of more than 90 islands and will set new standards in regenerative tourism. With sustainability at its core, supporting infrastructure emphasizes renewable energy and water conservation and re-use. The project aim to align with all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the Summit, in a panel - Reducing the Footprint of Travel & Tourism, the Red Sea Global CEO, John Pagano said, “Development done right can happily coexist with the environment. We're using the Red Sea Global to lead a global transition towards regenerative development. We're doing something that has never been done before.”

Cities Economic impact Report by WTTC:

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR) at the 22nd Global Summit.?Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Our report clearly shows that for millions of tourists around the world, major cities remain iconic global destinations. There’s still a strong appetite to experience the history, culture, and energy that cities offer travelers. This year cities are recovering around the world, and we forecast that cities will continue to grow and thrive over the next decade.”

Launch of Environmental and Social Research:

World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit 2022 announced the launch of environmental and social research related to the climate footprint of the global travel and tourism sector in cooperation with the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC).

Environmental and social research includes 185 countries on all continents of the world, which is the first of its kind at the international level, and its data will be updated annually with the latest statistics, it includes measures that monitor the impact of the sector on a set of indicators, including pollutants, energy sources and water use, in addition to social data, and gender wages in jobs related to the travel and tourism sector.

Radisson Hotel Group CEO on Hotel Accountability on Environmental Impact:

Radisson Hotel Group CEO, Federico González, who called for hotels to be held accountable for their environmental impact said, “One of the basic elements we need to put in every hotel in the world is to be able to measure water consumption and carbon footprint. One of his tips is to remove single-use plastics from hotels all around the world. These are really concrete examples of behaviors that we are going to start implementing that will have a significant impact now.”

Hilton plans to grow its Saudi Porfolio:

At the Summit, Hilton has announced a strategic partnership with the Saudi Tourism Development Fund (TDF), as well as agreements with several public and private developers for new hotels in destinations across Saudi Arabia. In the coming years, Hilton expects to grow its portfolio to more than 75 hotels in the Kingdom across multiple award-winning brands.

Chris Nassetta, President and CEO, Hilton, said: “It was incredible to be back in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The strength of Hilton’s partnerships in Saudi Arabia is testament to the government’s strategic vision and the incredible progress being made to develop the country’s tourism infrastructure, paving the way for a new golden age of travel.”

Hollywood star Norton Called for More Action:

Speaking at the Summit, Hollywood star and philanthropist Edward Norton called for more action on climate change and spoke about the battle facing the next generation. He said, “The challenge of our era is climate change and sustainability and I think everyone should be involved in it. Actors should be involved in it, tourism operators should be involved in it, airline CEOs need to be involved in it. We need everybody involved in this conversation.”

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism has pledged a US $1mn donation to support the work of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in Kenya, on behalf of American actor. The move is said to be part of the ministry’s ongoing commitment to support conservation and sustainable tourism”

Summit Ended with a Thanks Note:

On the last day of the Summit, Saudi Minister of Tourism, Khaled Al-Khateeb expressed his happiness for the Kingdom's hosting of the 22nd WTTC Global Summit, as it embodied the best example of cooperation through dialogues rich in practical steps, which truly reflects what the WTTC seeks.

Al-Khateeb thanked everyone who contributed to the success of this event, from the WTTC's team, the Ministry of Tourism, the Saudi Tourism Authority, the Tourism Development Fund, and all partners, and the efforts achieved their goal, as "We succeeded in hosting the largest global summit ever and we reached 8000 Participant, millions of followers on the Internet.”

Erum can be contacted at:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/erum-khan-50a51163/

(Part two of this Special Report will be coming soon)