The show will host more than 500 government officials, industry leaders and experts from across 120 countries
The Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia has unveiled the lineup of speakers for this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD), to be held in Riyadh on September 27-28.
According to a press statement by the ministry, the show will host more than 500 government officials, industry leaders and experts from across 120 countries. It says that the breadth of high-level speakers showcases the collective impetus across industry to celebrate the sector’s successes while exploring solutions to its most pressing challenges.
The ministry says that the list of speakers will include Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, Khalid Al Falih, Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia, Haifa Bint Mohammed Al Saud, Vice Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, Minister of Tourism of South Africa, Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, Mehmet Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Rosa Ana Morillo Rodriguez, Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain, Julia Simpson, CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council and Pansy Ho, Secretary General of the Global Tourism Economy Forum.
Among other key stakeholders will be Captain Ibrahim Koshy, the CEO of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of Swiss cruiseline MSC Cruises, Greg Webb, CEO of Travelport, Matthew Upchurch, CEO of travel operator Virtuoso and Ritesh Agarwal, CEO of Indian hospitality chain OYO.
WTD 2023 will be held under the theme ‘Tourism and Green Investments’ with the aim of fostering global collaboration in steering the sector towards an investment-led and sustainably focused future. The two-day event will see tourism leaders participate in keynote speeches and panel discussions centered around three United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) core themes of people, planet and prosperity.
The statement says that the first day will explore the UNWTO theme of ‘Tourism and Green Investments’ through panels ranging from the power of tourism in building bridges, investing in human capabilities, the potential of less-traversed tourism destinations, challenges and solutions in achieving a sustainable future, to bridging the innovation gap and powering entrepreneurship.
It adds that the ‘Tourism Leaders Forum’ will be held on the second day under the theme ‘Tourism for People, Prosperity and Intercultural Dialogue’. A public sector session will examine the sustainable future for the industry, while a private sector session will explore seamless end-to-end travel. A WTD 2024 handover session will also be conducted between Saudi Arabia and Georgia, ahead of Georgia’s hosting of the event next year.
