The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced Rwanda as the host country for next year’s Global Summit.

The announcement was made at the closing of this year’s summit, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 28 – 30 November.

WTTC’s annual Global Summit is the most influential Travel and Tourism event on the calendar that brings together thousands of industry leaders and experts and key government representatives to continue aligning efforts to support the sector’s growth and move beyond to a safer, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Speaking at the closing of this year’s summit, Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said:

“On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, it is our great pleasure and honour to have been selected to host the 2023 WTTC Global Summit in Kigali next year. We are a safe, and progressive country and are open for business and mean business. We are an African destination for sustainable tourism that has both local communities and the traveller at the heart of our strategy. We are excited to welcome you to the World Travel and Tourism council Global summit in Kigali in 2023. We look forward to continuing the impactful work of WTTC when we meet in Rwanda.”

On his part, Arnold Donald, Chair of the World Travel & Tourism Council said:

“It’s only fitting that our host for the WTTC 2023 Global Summit will be a country that has made great advancements in sustainable tourism and is now a true pioneer in the climate agenda. I hope to see everyone there.”

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Resources

• Download photos from this year’s WTTC Global Summit here 

About the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)

The World Travel & Tourism Council of today is an organisation that has developed enormously since its inception, yet it still holds the same core values and purpose. The three main messages are in keeping with the vision of the CEOs who founded the Council in 1990:

• Governments recognising Travel & Tourism as a top priority
• Business balancing economics with people, culture and environment
• A shared pursuit of long-term growth and prosperity

WTTC’s Members remain the driving force behind its activities and policies. Membership now includes the entire spectrum of the Travel & Tourism industry – from airlines and airports to hotels and hospitality groups, tour operators and retail travel agents, online distributors, cruise lines, investment companies, insurance groups, and the technology industry.

As a voluntary organisation, WTTC provides an important example of business leaders spending time and money to move their global activity forward while playing a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable development in our ever-changing world.

WTTC’s research, which quantifies the direct and total impact of Travel & Tourism on our economies in terms of GDP and employment growth, has helped to raise awareness of the economic contribution of our industry and continues to feature heavily in the media and in Governments.

For over 30 years, our work has been fundamental in creating change and raising the awareness of Travel & Tourism’s value, not just as one of the world’s largest economic sectors, but also to the many communities and travellers enriched through their experiences. Our goal is for the Travel & Tourism sector to be seamless, secure, safe, inclusive, and sustainable whilst working to a greater public/private sector collaboration.

Media Contacts

In Rwanda: Maurice Twahirwa, Media Relations, Rwanda Development Board at communications@rdb.rw