The largest-ever gathering at the Global Summit organised by the WTTC in Saudi Arabia concludes with over 3000 delegates from 85 countries in attendance. The organisation also announces that its next summit would be hosted in Rwanda, for the first-ever summit in Africa.

Global Summit 2022 organised by the World Travel & Tourism Council in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh concludes with several landmarks reports and agreements. The meeting was also the largest-ever for one of the most influential travel and tourism organisations in the world.

More than 3,000 delegates, including 50 ministers from 85 countries, attended the event, along with noted speakers from around the world, including former UK Prime Minister Theresa May, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and actor, filmmaker, and Golden Globe winner, Edward Norton.

At the Summit, WTTC and the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the meeting, launched the Environmental & Social Research (ESR).

This groundbreaking new data details the climate footprint of the global Travel & Tourism sector, and in a world-first, this the research covers 185 countries across all regions, and will be updated each year with the latest figures. The report showed that the actual share of tourism in carbon emissions was at 8.1 pc, much lower than the 11 pc estimated earlier.

At the Global Summit, the WTTC also launched its Cities Economic Impact Report (EIR). The report shows cities remain the powerhouses of global tourism and will drive the recovery of the sector and economies around the world.

During the concluding session, WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson announced that the Global Summit 2023 would be the first-ever meeting of the body in African continent as Rwandan capital Kigali had been chosen as the host city for the mega event.

Rwanda, the home of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, will showcase the power of sustainable tourism to protect biodiversity and create thriving communities, she announced.

“Saudi Arabia will be the next major destination for visitors as it invests USD 800 billion in showcasing the Kingdom to the world. From the Red Sea to snow-capped mountains, Saudi is full of surprises,’’ Simpson said.

“We are incredibly excited that Rwanda will host our next Global Summit in 2023. An amazing country famous for its conservation work, Rwanda is building its reputation as a must-see destination,” she added.

Under the theme “Travel for a Better Future” the event in Riyadh focused on the value of the sector, not only to the global economy, but to the planet and communities around the world.