WTTC CEO Gloria Guevara convened the inaugural Leaders’ Summit on November 3, 2026, aligning top tourism leaders to discuss investment, destination development, and public-private partnerships during World Travel Market London at ExCeL London.
The Leaders’ Summit responded to the difficulty senior tourism decision-makers face in securing meaningful dialogue amid packed schedules at major trade events like WTM London. The invitation-only gathering created time and space for high-level networking beyond typical conference sessions, enabling ministers, destination executives, and investors to engage in substantive discussions.
Summit Panel Highlights Destination Development Challenges
Key contributors included Phillipa Harrison of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Ahmed Youssef from the Egyptian
Tourism Authority, Michelle Fridman, Secretary of Tourism for Jalisco, Mexico, and representatives from the Spanish Tourist Office.
Harrison detailed Ras Al Khaimah’s target to raise tourism’s GDP contribution from 5% to between 20% and 30% within 5 to 10 years, supported by strong political backing, infrastructure investment, and a master plan extending to 2040. Youssef outlined Egypt’s substantial infrastructure growth, airport expansion, clean-energy projects, and market diversification efforts including the We Are Egypt campaign. Fridman emphasized investor confidence, infrastructure improvements, destination promotion, and tackling safety perceptions in Jalisco. Representatives from Spain’s tourist office focused on accessibility and the removal of
travel barriers.
WTTC Principles and Emphasis on Collaboration
Guevara reaffirmed WTTC’s seven principles for attracting tourism investment, including legal certainty, regulatory stability, stakeholder involvement, investment incentives, political commitment, and long-term planning. She described destinations as central to tourism and stressed the necessity of cooperation between governments and businesses to implement these principles effectively.
Maribel Rodríguez Gamero, WTTC Executive Vice President, Destinations, contributed to the discussions, underscoring the importance of sustained public-private sector collaboration for destination growth and investment.
Accessibility and Industry Collaboration
The summit addressed accessible tourism through presentations by Turespaña’s Barbara Couto and Jesús Ruiz of the Spanish Tourist Office UK. They highlighted how minor physical barriers and inadequate
signage hinder traveler inclusion, advocating for cross-sector cooperation to create travel environments accommodating for all visitors.
Inclusive tourism was linked to broader public-private dialogues, emphasizing that accessibility is as critical as traditional infrastructure investments for enabling wider traveler participation.
WTTC’s Role and Event Significance
Recognized as a leading voice for the private travel and tourism sector, WTTC under Guevara aims to bridge public and private stakeholders, including governments, destination bodies, airlines, hotels, and communities. The Leaders’ Summit supplements the long-running WTM Ministers’ Summit, which held its 20th edition on November 4, 2026, with support from UN Tourism and WTTC.
WTM London Event Director Chris Carter-Chapman
and his team organized the Leaders’ Summit to facilitate focused leadership dialogue within the commercial trade show. Rather than immediate investment deals, the event prioritized trust-building and meaningful conversations as foundations for future cooperation.
