World-Class Speaker Head to Seville for the WTTC Global Summit

Seville (Spain) – April 2, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced a world-class speaker line-up for its Global Summit in Seville starting tomorrow and a projected record attendance of over 1,500.

The WTTC Global Summit is the most important event in the sector gathering public and private sector leaders of global Travel & Tourism. This year WTTC is privileged to be holding the Global Summit in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain, on 2-4 April. This will be hosted by the and Ayuntamiento of Seville and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; and the Vice Ministry of Tourism of Andalucía.

WTTC is set for over 1,500 delegates at the Global Summit including over 100 WTTC Member CEOs, 300 media, more than 20 ministerial delegations, as well as serving and former Heads of State.

Pres. Barack Obama will be the headline speakers as well as President Pedro Sanchez Perez of Spain; H.E. Margaret Kenyatta, First Lady of the Republic of Kenya; and Felipe Calderon who served as President of Mexico from 2006 – 2012.

WTTC is delighted to confirm the following speakers:

• H.E. Isabel Oliver, Secretary of State for Tourism, Spain
• H. E. Maria Reyes Maroto Illera, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Spain
• Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
• Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, US Government
• H. E. Mona Keijzer, State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Netherlands
• H. E. Eva Stravs Podlogar, Minister of Tourism, Slovenia
• H.E. Bogdan Gheorghe, Minister of Tourism, Government of Romania
• Juan Espadas, Mayor, Seville
• Kevin McAleenan, Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government
• John Wagner, Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government
• Jamie Rhee, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation
• Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri, DG Director of Tourism & Commerce, Dubai
• José María Álvarez-Pallete López, Chairman & CEO, Telefónica S.A.
• Christopher J Nassetta, President & CEO, Hilton
• Katie Fallon, EVP Global, Head of Corporate Affairs, Hilton
• Desirée Bollier, Chair, Value Retail
• Arnold Donald, President & CEO, Carnival Corporation
• Jeffrey C. Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel
• Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises
• Hiromi Tagawa, Chairman of the Board, JTB Corp
• Alex Zozaya, CEO, Apple Leisure Group
• Caroline Beteta, President & CEO, Visit California
• Sean Donohue, CEO, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
• Roger Dow, US Travel Association
• Richard D Fain, Chairman & CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Glenda McNeal, President, Enterprise Strategic Partnership, American Express
• Michael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, Mastercard
• Fritz Joussen, CEO, TUI Group
• Geoffrey Kent, Founder, Chairman and CEO Abercrombie & Kent
• Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio di Balsonaro de Clunieres, Chairman, Silversea Cruises
• Greg O’Hara, Founder & Managing Partner, Certares
• Mark Okerstrom, President & CEO, Expedia
• Joan Vilà, Executive Chairman, Hotelbeds
• Keith Barr, CEO, IHG
• Ninan Checko, CEO & President, Travel Leaders Group
• Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, Executive VC & CEO, Melia Hotels International
• Eric Resnick, CEO, KSL Capital Partners
• Daniel Richards, CEO, Global Rescue
• Peter Fankhauser, CEO, Thomas Cook Group
• Jeremy Jauncey, CEO, Beautiful Destinations
• Gary Knell, Chairman, National Geographic Partners
• Luis Maroto, President & CEO, Amadeus
• Deepak Ohri, CEO, lebua Hotels & Resorts
• Kike Sarasola, President & Founder, Room Mate Hotels & Bemate.com
• Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso
• Gordon Wilson, President, WorldReach Software
• Enrique Ybarra, CEO, City Sightseeing
• Fred Dixon, President & CEO, NYC & Company
• Dirk Alhborn, CEO, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
• Isidoro Alanís, President & CEO, Global Exchange Group
• Aoife McArdle, Global Head of Business Affairs and Social Impact-Experiences, Airbnb
• Lindsay Nelson, President of Core Experience, TripAdvisor
• Desiree Maxino, Group Head – Government Policy and ASEAN, Air Asia
• Dan Fenton, EVP, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
• Andrew Benett, Chief Commercial Officer, Bloomberg Media Group, Bloomberg
• Alex Dichter, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Partner
• Huayong Ge, Chairman, China Union Pay
• Diana Robino, Senior Vice President, Global Tourism Partnerships, Mastercard
• Suzan Kereere, Global Head, Merchant Sales & Acquiring, Visa
• Mark Wynne Smith, Global CEO, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
• Luis Gallego, CEO, Iberia
• Dupsy Abiola, Head of Global Innovation, International Airlines Group (IAG)
• Stacy Ritter, CEO, Fort Lauderdale
• Earl Anthony Wayne, Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Wendy Purcell, Harvard
• John D. Spengler, Harvard
• Robert Li, Professor, Temple University
• Graham Miller, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Surrey
• Paul Mee, Partner, Oliver Wyman
• Ritesh Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Oyo Rooms
• Ken Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Age Wave
• Sir Jackie Stewart, Three times Formula One World Champion & Founder of Stewart Grand Prix
• Eduardo Santander, European Travel Commission
• Tony Smith, Former Director General, UK Border Agency
• Anthony Malkin, Chairman & CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
• Amanda Hills, President, Hills Balfour
• Andres Oppenheimer, Journalist & Presenter, CNN
• Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, CBS News
• Jacqueline Gifford, Editor in Chief, Travel + Leisure
• Nick Ross, Summit Anchor
• Philippe Gombert, President International, Chairman of The Board, Relais & Châteaux
• Michael Hickey, Executive Vice President & President, Global Institutional Ecolab
• Jesús Hernández-Galán, Director, ONCE
• Billy Kolber, Founder, Man About World
• Chandran Nair, Founder & CEO, The Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT)
• Zak Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Young China Group
• Fiona Jeffery, Founder & Chairman, Just a Drop and Chair, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards

The 2019 Summit will be centred on the theme of ‘Changemakers’, harnessing the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world from Seville and the world-changing impact of that achievement. It will inspire delegates with changemaking individuals and ideas to craft the future vision of Travel & Tourism. Creativity, innovation, diversity and inclusivity will drive the conversation.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, commented, “The WTTC Global Summit is the single most important event in the calendar for global private sector leaders to gather and analyze the issues facing the future of our sector and the opportunities that arise from them. I am excited to be welcoming a record of over 1,500 delegates including so many WTTC Members, Ministers, and serving and retired Heads of State. Our Summit is the place where the future of our sector is shaped.”

Bernard A. Metzger, Founder of Travelindex Media Group and Publisher of this website will also attend this world-class event.