The Global Travel and Tourism Summit

Welcome from Jean Claude Baumgarten.

I am delighted to welcome you to the 9th Global Travel & Tourism Summit, which is being organised by WTTC for the first time in South America – in Florianópolis, the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. More details on the Summit programme and social activities, as well as practical information to assist you with registering and planning your trip to Florianópolis, will be added to the website over the coming weeks.

Given the terrible natural disaster that hit Santa Catarina in late-2008, due to heavy rains and flooding, we are more than ever committed to making a huge success of our upcoming Global Travel & Tourism Summit, which will take place from 15-16 May 2009. We firmly believe that our first major venture in one of the world’s most promising future growth economies – one of the BRICs, to quote Goldman Sachs – will help put Santa Catarina and its capital Florianópolis on the world tourism map, both from the point of its international tourism potential and its potential for foreign investment.

In its October 2003 report Dreaming of BRICs – the Path to 2050, Goldman Sachs said that, if things go right, in less than 40 years, the BRIC economies together could be larger than the G6 in US dollar terms. After next May’s Global Travel & Tourism Summit, we expect that the future Travel & Tourism growth potential of Brazil, and not least Santa Catarina, will be confirmed.

Do come and join us for this exciting and timely event !

Mr. Jean Claude Baumgarten is President of the World Travel & Tourism Council

The Global Travel & Tourism Summit goes from one success to another

Thanks to the strong interest generated by the Global Travel & Tourism Summit, not to mention the participation of high-level government representatives and leaders from the private sector of the Travel & Tourism industry, this major annual event in the WTTC calendar has gone from one success to another.

The locations of the past six years’ Summits reflect the international character of the event, as well as the strong presence of WTTC in different regions of the world – Dubai (2008), Lisbon (2007), Washington DC (2006), New Delhi (2005), Doha (2004) and Vilamoura (2003).

The 8th Global Travel & Tourism Summit, which took place in Dubai on 20-22 April 2008, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attracted more than 1,300 heads of government, industry leaders and media participants – surpassing all previous Summit attendance records.

Under the theme World Citizens, presentations and discussions focused on questions such as: Is growth to be pursued purely for profit, or are representatives of the Travel & Tourism sector capable of acting as responsible World Citizens, balancing business needs with cultural, social and environmental factors?

Thanks to extensive coverage in both regional and global media, reflecting the importance of the Summit and the Travel & Tourism industry at large in advancing global challenges and opportunities, there is clear evidence that the discussions and debates in Dubai are already helping to transform Travel & Tourism-related policy across the world.

Breaking Barriers – Managing Growth was the topical theme chosen in 2007 for the Lisbon Summit, where WTTC’s signature ‘in the round’ discussion format once again provided the framework for an open and creative exchange of ideas.

The Global Travel & Tourism Summit held in Washington DC in April 2006 was another outstanding success under the theme Open Mind, Open World.  With over 700 delegates, the Summit brought together the CEOs and Chairs of the world’s foremost Travel & Tourism businesses, Cabinet Ministers, senior government officials and influential journalists from around the globe.

Creativity, innovation and energy are driving forward our industry in a complex and rapidly changing world. Businesses and destinations that are open to a new mindset, embracing a long-term view of success, are those that will lead our industry in the future.  But what are the physical and mental barriers that still need to be overcome to ensure the growth of Travel & Tourism in the long term?  And how can we tap into this growth so that the vast opportunities offered by our industry are opened up to all? These were some of the issues the participants were asked to address.

New Delhi was a fitting host to the 2005 Summit as India is one of the countries offering the greatest growth potential for Travel & Tourism in the longer term. Despite the tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, inbound, outbound and domestic travel are all growing rapidly and India, with its huge labour force, diverse cultural and ecological attractions, and growing economy has much to gain from a thriving Travel & Tourism industry.

The same is true for Brazil, host country to the 9th Global & Travel Summit from 15-16 May 2009. We look forward with great excitement to staging another successful event that will help to stimulate growth in tourism demand for Florianóplis and the State of Santa Catarina, as well as increased investment in the region.

Host destination

Located in southern Brazil between the states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, the small state of Santa Catarina has only 6 million inhabitants, yet it unites within its unique 95,000 square kilometres (roughly the size of Hungary) a diversity of scenery and people that marvels visitors and explains why it is now the country’s third largest tourism centre. From its white sandy beaches, tropical forests and snowy mountains to its Azorean fishermen, Italian farmers and German industrialists, this is a land of sharp and fascinating contrasts.

Florianópolis, the host destination for the Summit, is the capital of Santa Catarina and boasts some of Brazil’s most beautiful beaches. It is located on the west coast of the Ilha de Santa Catarina, linked to the mainland by the longest suspension bridge in the country, the Hercilio Luz Bridge. The city was first settled by Spaniards in 1542 but, by 1675, the Portuguese took control of the island. Germans arrived as early as 1829 and they were followed by a wave of immigrants from Italy, Poland and Russia, giving the city its cosmopolitan character.

Today, Florianópolis is also a busy commercial centre. The balance and dynamism of the Santa Catarina economy are reflected in high levels of economic growth, literacy, employment and per capita income that are well above the national average. This explains the city’s, and the region’s, huge potential for growth in Travel & Tourism and its attraction for foreign investors – one of the main reasons for WTTC’s decision to hold its Global Travel & Tourism Summit in this attractive, yet little known, part of the world. 

VENUE

The summit will take place at the International Events Center – IEC, within the Costão do Santinho Resort, which is located to the far north of Florianópolis, on Santinho Beach. Santinho is one of the most beautiful of all the 42 beaches on the island and is 35 kilometres from the city centre. The Costão do Santinho was the first resort in the south of the country to be created to ensure the development of sustainable tourism in harmony with nature and the local population. As detailed in the Travel & Accommodation section of this website, the Costão do Santinho will be the choice address for Summit delegates.

For further information on the venue please click here.
Costão do Santinho Resort & Spa
Estrada Vereador Onildo Lemos, 2505
Praia do Santinho
Florianópolis
Santa Catarina
88058-700 Brazil
Tel: +55 (0) 48 3261 1000
Fax: +55 (0) 48 3261 1200
For photos of the resort, visit: www.costao.com

List of speakers

Geoffrey JW Kent – Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies
Jean-Claude Baumgarten – World Travel & Tourism Council
Martin Feldstein – Harvard University George F Baker Professor of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research President Emeritus;US Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Jeff  Clarke – Travelport
Peter Greenberg – NBC Today Show
Predrag Nenezic – Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Montenegro
Deepak Ohri – lebua Hotels & Resorts Co Ltd
Jeanine Pires – Embratur
Christopher Rodrigues CBE – VisitBritain
John Walker – Oxford Economics
Taleb Rifai – World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Howard Rosenberg – Co Author of No Time To Think and former Television Critic, Los Angeles Times
Charles S Feldman – Investigative Journalist and Co Author of No Time To Think
Gilles  Pélisson – Accor
Brett  Tollman – The Travel Corporation
Jabu Mabuza – Tsogo Sun Holdings (Pty) Ltd
Charles Petruccelli – American Express
Robin  Tauck – R Tauck & Partners
Arthur de Haast BA FIH – Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
Arnie Weissmann – Travel Weekly US
Edwin D Fuller – Marriott International
Costas Christ – WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
Alain Benichou – IBM
Jyotsna Suri – Bharat Hotels Ltd
Andrew Daff – Lane Cove River Tourist Park
Jake Kheel – Grupo PUNTACANA
Martin West – Community Action Treks
Yannis  Vardakastanis – Nature World Travel, Ionian Eco Villagers
Richard Edwards – Planeterra/GAP Adventures
Matthew Upchurch – Virtuoso
Sebastian Escarrer – Sol Melia
Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr – International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Vladimir Yakushev – Sever Group

 

The Global Travel & Tourism Summit is organised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Head office contacts:
World Travel & Tourism Council
1-2 Queen Victoria Terrace
Sovereign Court
London E1W 3HA, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7481 8007
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7488 1008
Email: enquiries@wttc.org

For specific enquiries, please refer to the contacts below:

Managing Director, Summit
Ufi Ibrahim at ufi.ibrahim@wttc.org
Summit Co-ordinator and Logistics
Tony Thompson at tony.thompson@wttc.org
Summit Speakers and WTTC Members
Claire Brooks at claire.brooks@wttc.org
Summit Sponsors, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards and Registration
Susann Kruegel at susann.kruegel@wttc.org
Ministerial Delegations
Amir Girgis at amir.girgis@wttc.org
Media Enquiries and Media Partners
Regine Doloy at regine.doloy@wttc.org

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