The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit 2018

Introduction
The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit 2018 was the flagship Travel & Tourism event of the year, whose theme was dubbed “Our People, Our World, Our Future”. The summit featured a packed schedule with experienced leaders from Travel & Tourism industry and government. Topics included Megatrends, Leadership in a Digital Age, Climate Change, Promoting Seamless Travel and Disaster Recovery.
Tourism is a force for good and when people/disasters hurt tourism, it hurts stability of the state. Tourism is largely about collecting experiences therefore countries need to talk about activities and products they offer, that would give the best experience for visitors.
There is a change in tourism and travel and millennials will soon control a lot, therefore they must be largely considered in planning and executing new business models and strategies.
Countries should be able to turn culture into big business because people love stories and stories of a people or a country is embedded in its culture.
There is importance in building a global consortium, build partnerships, align processes and unite travel. All these should be shared on a digital platform through a standardized process.
The infrastructure sought by the new age of travel requirements is one that necessitates a quicker, efficient and flawless proof of possession and identity.
The system must be smarter, precise and quicker as today’s travelers want to spend more time in the sites and not in the travel and travel facilitations. The public and private sector must ensure they invest in modern technologies and modalities that shall ensure seamless travel.
Seamless travel has become important for travelers everywhere in the world. The technology to make seamless travel a reality is already here. Within four years in the USA, people will be able to go from home to destination without showing a passport or boarding pass – using biometrics- i.e. facial recognition.
These technologies are meant to optimize flow of passengers. It is mainly process that is holding seamless travel up. Agreed standards for security checks already exist at international level, but only 30% of states have implemented them.
All efforts should be made to reduce time interfacing with product i.e. with the use of technology all interaction can be made as off premise. This will ensure that infrastructure is used effectively.
The modern travelers use technology, mobile device and platforms to search for their travel destination, book their travel and pay for the service offered or anticipated. The Millennial travelers of today seek and demand a seamless and less contact travel experience.

Conclusion
Tourism has to be seen as an essential and it be shown in the budget of any destination country. Tourism will change the world. The ministries and concerned organizations need fast decision making. The industry needs to implement increased use of biometrics to manage mobility in future with technology.
There has cropped up a new generation of travelers with different needs and they must be catered for. These are young people and they are the change agents of an industry/company. Communities and people need to be at the center of all tourism planning, policymaking and strategies.
Travel & Tourism creates jobs, drives exports, and generates prosperity across the world. The next WTTC conference will be held in the beautiful city of Seville Spain.