Thursday, 10 October 2024: Perth, Western Australia this week is hosting the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 24th Global Summit — the world’s largest tourism summit, bringing together over 800 international government representatives, tourism leaders, investors and media to discuss global travel and tourism.

The WTTC’s member base includes global leaders and over 200 Chairpersons, Presidents, and CEOs of the world’s top tourism companies, including the Cruise Lines International Association, Emirates, Expedia, Google, TripAdvisor and Trip.com.

This year’s Global Summit hosted key speakers such as the 68th United States Secretary of State John Kerry and environmentalist Robert Irwin. Present at the Summit also were Hon Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia and Hon Rita Saffioti BBus MLA, Deputy Premier; Treasurer; Minister for Transport; Tourism.

Speaking at the opening, President and Chief Executive of WTTC, Julia Simpson, shared that industry will account for US$1 out of every US$10 spent globally in 2024 as the sector’s contribution to global Gross Domestic Product will increase 12.1 percent year-on-year to a record USD$11.1 trillion.

“This year, our sector is set to break all records, contributing $11 trillion to the global economy. But our vision goes beyond numbers—it’s about building a sustainable future where travel empowers local people, safeguards our planet’s heritage, and brings the world closer together,” said Simpson.

WTTC’s latest Environmental & Social Research, created in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, reveals that in 2023, Travel and Tourism accounted for 6.7% of all emissions globally, down from 7.8% in 2019, when Travel & Tourism was at its peak.

The Summit included a Global Leader Dialogue followed by five plenary sessions: planning for the future, understanding our customers, facilitating exploration, enabling connections, and nurturing our planet.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Viliame Gavoka, was the keynote speaker in the panel session on ‘enabling connections’, which focused on Indigenous tourism.

“To fully integrate Indigenous tourism in the overall offerings, destinations need strong political will and strong institutions. We also need the rights laws, access to resources, and equitable participation. To do this, we must continue to empower, dialogue and co-create,” said Hon. Gavoka.

He added “Tourism can sometimes be seen as exclusive to a particular segment of the community.  We want to change that. We work directly with Indigenous groups to ensure their voices are heard and they benefit from tourism.”

As Indigenous people welcome travellers to their traditional and ancestral homes, they often share their history and culture. These inspiring visits are frequently cited as a highlight of travellers’ journeys. However, many Indigenous communities are often overlooked or excluded from participating in the profits of travel and tourism.

Several traveller surveys highlight increasing demand for authentic and local experiences or opportunities to connect with local communities and cultures.

The WTTC’s latest report released during the Summit “Supporting Global Indigenous Tourism” shares specific case studies and examples of inclusive Indigenous tourism across the globe and discusses the importance of this segment to the wider Travel and Tourism ecosystem. It aims to share best practice and inspire policy makers and stakeholders towards increased support for Indigenous tourism as a vital pathway to sustainable development.

Additionally, another report launched by WTTC reveals that Oceania’s travel and tourism sector could inject an additional US$112 billion to the region’s economy by 2034, bringing the total contribution to a record-breaking US$336 billion.

The Summit also discussed key trends such as leveraging the growing Chinese and Indian outbound markets, increase in localised experiential travel, desire for sustainable travel and understanding how artificial intelligence will shape the future of travel.

ENDS