The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today announces that global leaders from the Travel & Tourism industry will meet at the first WTTC European Leaders Forum in Lisbon, Portugal on 11 September 2018.

Hosted by Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism in Portugal, and Turismo de Portugal, this invitation-only event will bring together the CEOs and regional leaders of the top Travel & Tourism companies from across Europe, along with Tourism Ministers and regional experts.

The WTTC European Leaders Forum will engage a select group of leaders who will discuss four of the key issues facing the region’s Travel & Tourism sector: tourism’s role in sustainable urban development, tourism and the future of work, unlocking investment in Europe’s tourism, and supporting innovation in tourism.

H.E Manuel Caldeira Cabral, Minister of Economy, Portugal, H.E Ana Mendes Godinho, Secretary of State for Tourism, Portugal, Peter Fankhauser, CEO, Thomas Cook Group, and Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises will be joined on stage by; Kike Sarasola, President & Founder, Room Mate Hotels & BeMate.com; Robert Swade, CEO, Grace Hotels; Andrea Grisdale, CEO, IC Bellagio; and Mário Ferreira, CEO Mystic Invest, Alain Dupeyras, Head of the Regional Development and Tourism Division, OECD, Aradhana Khowala, CEO & Founder, Aptamind Partners, Miguel Leitmann, Founder & CEO, Vision-Box, Kimmo Maki, President & CEO, Finavia, Ian Taylor, Executive Editor, Travel Weekly, Enrique Ybarra, Founder, President & CEO, City Sightseeing Worldwide, Luís Araújo, President, Turismo de Portugal; Robin Rossmann, Managing Director, STR; Öznur Özdemir Özaltin, Chief Executive, Özaltin Holding (Tourism Group), Ozaltin Holding, Tim Moonen, Manging Director, The Business of Cities.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said “We are delighted to be holding our first WTTC Europe Leaders Forum in Lisbon, Portugal. Europe is the largest and most mature tourism market in the world, with tourism generating Euro 1.8 trillion to European economies and supporting 36.6 million jobs. Throughout Europe, Travel & Tourism creates jobs, drives economic growth and helps build better societies. This is particularly the case in Portugal, where Travel & Tourism accounted for 17.3% of GDP in 2017 (USD38.0bn) and generates 1 in 5 of the country’s jobs.

“The outputs from the European Leaders Forum will inform WTTC’s future work in the region and provide a unique and exclusive space for networking amongst the leaders in attendance,” commented Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO. “We look forward to a productive and engaging forum and thank Ana Mendes Godinho and Turismo de Portugal for their continued support.”