WTTC sets 2026 Global Summit agenda around AI, sustainability and travel connectivity

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has unveiled the program for its 26th Global Summit, which will bring together more than 100 speakers in Valletta, Malta, to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the global travel and tourism industry.

Held under the theme “FUTU[RE]SET,” the two-day summit will convene government officials, tourism authorities and business leaders to address issues including artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, travel connectivity, workforce development, crisis preparedness and investment.

Journeys Unpacked, the world’s first Place Intelligence publication, has been invited to attend the 26th WTTC Global Summit in Valletta, Malta. The publication explores the forces shaping destinations and the reasons places work the way they do, bringing a Place Intelligence lens to the conversations defining the future of travel and tourism.

Confirmed speakers include former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Malta Prime Minister Robert Abela, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy Attia.

The industry delegation includes Christopher Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton; Elie Maalouf, Global CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts; Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor; Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group; and Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. Saudi tourism representatives include Abdulmohsen Al-Mazyad, Vice Minister of Tourism, and Qusai Al-Fakhri, CEO of the Tourism Development Fund.

According to WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara, the summit will address how AI, technology, changing traveler expectations, geopolitics, and investment are reshaping the sector. The program is structured around eight priorities, including seamless travel, destination management, sustainability, emerging technologies, connectivity and workforce development.

The summit will also feature a Global Leaders Dialogue, bringing together ministers, policymakers and business executives to discuss the industry’s competitiveness and future direction.

Other initiatives include the launch of the WTTC Youth Movement, which will bring together around 90 students and 10 professors from 16 partner institutions, representing more than 30 nationalities. The initiative aims to connect young people with industry leaders and encourage engagement with tourism careers.

WTTC will also promote its Together in Travel initiative, which aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the travel and tourism sector. The council estimates that SMEs account for around 85% of the global travel and tourism community.

Sessions will cover AI in travel, digital identity and border processes, tourism investment, destination stewardship, accessibility, luxury and wellness tourism, and the changing role of emerging tourism markets. The summit will conclude with a review of key discussions and the announcement of the host destination for the 2027 WTTC Global Summit.