London, United Kingdom-: The World Travel and Tourism Council announced that the 22nd edition of the World Summit will be held in Riyadh in late 2022.
The World Travel and Tourism Council Summit is the world’s largest event for the travel and tourism industry. It is worth noting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is leading a new global approach to redrawing the tourism map, and this summit will bring together sector leaders in Riyadh in the presence of senior government representatives to continue supporting the sector’s recovery to achieve a safer, resilient, inclusive and sustainable future.
The Kingdom will host the summit after its highly anticipated edition will be held in Manila from 14 to 16 March 2022.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Julia Simpson, President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed its keenness on the tourism sector since the beginning of the pandemic, which has almost completely stopped international flights, and has made sure that tourism remains at the top of the agendas. The Kingdom has played a major role in the efforts to recover this important sector, which contributes to building the economies of countries and provides jobs for all around the world.”
She added, “Therefore, we express our gratitude to the Kingdom, and our appreciation for its tremendous efforts by hosting the summit on its soil next year.”
His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Al-Khatib, Minister of Tourism, commented: “I welcome the decision to choose the Kingdom as a host country for the next edition of the World Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council next year. The forum is an important platform to support the efforts of partnership and coordination between the public and private sectors to improve the future of tourism. This is an embodiment of The Kingdom’s leadership role in supporting the recovery of the global tourism sector and, most importantly, the sector’s transformation towards sustainability. I look forward to welcoming all members of the World Travel and Tourism Council next year here in the Kingdom.”
In conjunction with the announcement, WTTC research shows that the Middle East’s tourism sector is expected to grow by 27.1% this year, outpacing Europe and Latin America.
Research also confirms that if governments put the travel and tourism sector at the top of their priorities, the job opportunities provided by the sector will reach 6.6 million jobs in 2022, which is close to the number of jobs in the sector before the outbreak of the pandemic. More details about the World Travel and Tourism Council World Summit in Riyadh will be announced at a later time.