“We are delighted to be the first host of this incredible summit on the African continent. For us, that means that this is an African summit because today we are celebrating a milestone that has taken 23 years to happen.”, said Francis Gatare, the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB)

Global tourism is making a robust comeback, with all regions recovering faster than previously expected, according to World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oxford Economics data.

Julia Simpson, president and CEO of the World Tourism Network was refering, when she said this in Rwanda today to the Global Research on Travel & Tourism Research.

Travel Tech Founder Charles Shima said: I attended the Welcome Reception of The Global Summit World Travel & Tourism Council & it was a magnificent event in Rwanda, Africa.

We are here to connect, learn & share. This event has allowed me to meet a Franco Diaspora who like me is building for Africa. Chris and his brother co-founded Gotis Transport.

“Our sector has shown its true resilience. The travel and tourism sector is recovering, but sustainability needs to be at its centre.” –World Travel & Tourism Council CEO Julia Simpson added.

She continued saying today in Kigali for the opening of the 23th global WTTC summit:

“This marks our first ever World Global Summit in Africa, and I take immense pride in shining the spotlight on the whole tourism community in this absolutely remarkable region.”

World Travel & Tourism Council Chair Arnold Donald on Africa is hosting this year’s Global Summit.

The 23rd World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit 2023 kicks off today in Rwanda, bringing together industry leaders and experts, including our managing director Fawaz Farooqui, to align efforts to support the industry’s recovery towards a safer, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Julia explained:

Yesterday we welcomed our sector to the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit in Rwanda. Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda perfectly sets the scene for discussions around conservation, as an African leader in sustainable travel.

We kicked off proceedings with our annual Global Leaders Dialogue which focused on investment in sustainability. This was a great opportunity to hear from both the private and public sector on their experiences and priorities in aligning investment with sustainable practices.

At our opening press conference, Francis Gatare, CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), WTTC Chairman Arnold Donald and I welcomed delegates to Kigali, setting the scene for what promises to be an amazing three days. I touched on global Travel & Tourism recovery figures, showcased our ground-breaking ESR data.

Tomorrow promises to be fantastic day as we hear from the leaders of our sector explore hot topics from the growing role of AI to connectivity to the developing traveller persona.

Thank you to all our Members and Government Ministers who have been able to join us in Kigali, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming days at the Global Summit.”