Already described as the “Davos of tourism”, the event will open with Mike Horn, Professional Explorer, Adventurer and Survival Expert and his speech ‘Courage and Perseverance in Difficult Times’.
The inaugural ‘A World for Travel’ Forum 2020, taking place on 5th – 6th November in the beautiful medieval town of Évora, has confirmed the speaker programme with a stellar list of high-profile contributors. Registrations are open and attendance is free either virtually or in person.
Already described as the “Davos of tourism”, the event will open with Mike Horn, Professional Explorer, Adventurer and Survival Expert and his speech ‘Courage and Perseverance in Difficult Times’. Mike is globally acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest, modern day explorers. From swimming the Amazon River solo and unsupported to an unmotorized circumnavigation of the globe at the equator, Mike’s list of accomplishments as a solo explorer is unparalleled. He will open the Summit with some inspiration on the art of survival and overcoming adversity.
The afternoon of day one will see travel heavy weights Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC and Madame Dho Young-shim, UN SDGs Advocate join Minister Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica and French Minister of Tourism, H.E. Lemoyne on panels discussing the new leadership demands the pandemic presents destinations and organizations.
Contributing to the focus of the first day which aims to outline the major key problems facing the industry, the session titled ‘Tourists Go Home, Tourists Come Back’ includes delegates who will discuss how they are balancing conflicting demands from tourists and locals. They will be joined by industry stalwart, Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary General, UNWTO and Co-Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre and the Resilience Council with H.E. Habib Amar, Tunisian Minister of Tourism. Chaired by travel media guru, Peter Greenberg, this session tackles an exceedingly difficult issue for many destinations which veered from over tourism to no tourism.
Sebastian Mikosz, SVP, Member & External Relations, IATA and Dan Reynolds, CEO, Global Rescue have been confirmed to lead on the first breakout session of the conference ‘Risk mitigation and health issues, the impact on travel planning’ and they will be focusing on how businesses can use product development and technology to increase consumer confidence.
The focus for day two is tackling major issues around sustainability with innovative and ‘breaking the mold’ solutions. With sustainability at the heart of the recovery Luís Araujo, President, Turismo de Portugal will set the tone of the day and present the destination’s Sustainable Tourism Plan 2020-2023. Continuing the theme, Sebastin Bazin, CEO, Accor Hotels; Jean-François Rial, CEO, Voyageurs du monde; and Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO, Advantage Travel Partnership, will participate in the session ‘Sustainable Tourism Means Industry Reorganization: How will new economic levers and sustainable employment adjust going forward?'. This experienced panel will debate what will drive new leadership and how that will help transform the industry.
Equally compelling and building on the sustainability theme will be the breakout session ‘New Governance for Safe, Sustainable Travel’. Minister Balala, Minister of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya and Luis Araujo, President, Turismo de Portugal have taken a pioneering approach to weaving sustainability into the very fabric of their tourism strategies and will lead the discussion on the importance of governance.
Rita Marques, Secretary of State for Tourism in Portugal commented: “The very fact that this summit has been organized in such a comparatively short space of time and that we have over 60 of our speakers who will physically attend the event in Évora is not only testament to the resilience of our industry but also to the commitment and dedication of its leaders to tackle the issues we face head on, without delay and with such courage and fortitude. The event represents a beacon of hope for the global travel and tourism sector. We look forward to welcoming our industry community to Évora and to what be believe will be a ground-breaking event.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
