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 global travel news website will also attend this world-class event.