Melia Hotels International : Meliá at the WTTC global summit

by Gabriel Escarrer, Vicechairman and CEO

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is one of the greatest international institutions in the travel industry and one with which we have to be involved given our status as the third largest hotel company in Europe and one of the 20 largest in the world.

The WTTC brings together senior executives from more than 150 major travel and tourism companies, including airlines, hotels, cruises, agencies and tour operators. We feel strongly identified with the original goal of the Council on its foundation in 1991: to make the world more aware of the important economic contribution of the travel and tourism industry to global wellbeing, environmental protection and the elimination of barriers to development.

I have had the honour of taking part in the WTTC Annual Summit in Buenos Aires this year, where I have talked about the future and current problems in the industry with some of the leaders of our most important partners and competitors and enjoyed some of the most intense and fruitful days in my career. I have come back from the Summit even more convinced about the fundamental role our industry plays in bringing about improvements in society, and even more committed to enhancing them.

The Summit's agenda touched on all the hot topics affecting global tourism, such as the role of tourism in the fight against climate change, mega-trends for 2018, the tourism industry as a global driver of employment and community development, the keys to safe and efficient tourism in the future, technology and cybersecurity, and public-private partnerships between companies and governments for tourism development.

I have also listened to presentations about the valuable experiences and know-how we need to make us better leaders and better companies, such as the new type of leadership the industry needs in this constantly changing, uncertain and digital era, or best practices and trends in crisis prevention, management and recovery, a topic of the utmost importance in an industry shaken every year by natural disasters, incidents and attacks. I was also able to attend important awards such as the 'Tourism for Tomorrow Awards' with the satisfaction of seeing our beloved Paradisus Playa del Carmen resort named as a finalist in the 'Environment' category.

Finally, I would like to congratulate the entire Spanish tourism industry for the fact that one of our most emblematic cities, Seville, has been chosen to host the next WTTC Summit in April 2019. Congratulations to Seville, congratulations to Spain, and of course, congratulations to the Paradisus Playa del Carmen for this acknowledgement of its efforts to generate a positive impact through tourism in a corner of paradise in the Caribbean.