WTTC will gather the world’s travel and tourism leaders and professionals in the Italian capital of Rome for its 2025 WTTC Global Summit – the first time the event will be held in the city.
Scheduled for late 2025, the summit will be staged in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Tourism.
Rome is set to welcome the next WTTC Global Summit
This marks the summit’s return to Europe after six years; the last was in Spain.
Daniela Santanchè, minister of tourism, Italy, said: “This event is recognised as the most important setting for dialogue between governments and the private sector, where leaders shape the future of global travel and tourism. We look forward to welcoming our guests and members of WTTC to Rome, a city rich in history and innovation.”
The event is expected to showcase Italy’s rich cultural heritage and contemporary tourist offerings to the world’s leading travel executives.
Thailand, on track to achieve its 2024 target of 35 million international tourist arrivals, is already building towards a 39 million target for 2025, shared its tourism and sports minister Sorawong Thienthong.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will launch the Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025 campaign. This will comprise collaboration with tourism partners to offer Grand Festivals, Grand Moments, and Grand Privileges to tourists, as well as the promotion of five must-dos in Thailand – Must Taste (Thai cuisine), Must Try (Muay Thai), Must Buy (Thai fashion and local products), Must Seek (new destinations and experiences), and Must See (Thai festivals). The latter aims to diversify Thailand’s tourism appeal and spotlight lesser-visited regions across the country.
From left: TAT’s Thapanee Kiatphaibool and Sorawong Thienthong
“This concept will create grand, unforgettable experiences for every traveller who visits our beloved kingdom,” said Sorawong.
Sunny Kim, vice president, global sales of Onyx Hospitality Group, which has properties across Thailand, said TAT’s focus on lesser-visited regions creates an opportunity for the hotel group to feature its hotels outside of the city to both domestic and inbound tourists.
While Thailand is already a popular destination, there are still countless hidden gems waiting to be discovered across the country.
“That’s Thailand’s beauty. You’ve been there, you know Thailand, but there are still so many things to discover,” Kim added and cited Bang Saen beach in Chon Buri province as an example. Amari The Tide Bang Saen hotel is scheduled to open there next year.
Combining traditions and modern experiences, Thailand aims to enhance its tourism offerings in several ways.
The wide popularity of Thai cuisine provides an opportunity to further promote regional culinary experiences. Since 2017, Thailand has been working with the Michelin Guide to promote gastronomy tourism. Next year, the guide will be expanded to include Chon Buri province.
Another driver of tourism is the entertainment industry. This year, Thailand saw a surge in shorthaul arrivals that reached 65 per cent of overall international tourist numbers. This was driven up by K-pop concerts.
At the same time, screen tourism has gained momentum, added Sorawong. The popularity of Thai movies and series has led many Asian tourists to locations that appeared in shows such as Phuket Old Town and Chiang Mai University.
On the sustainability front, the government is also encouraging businesses to join its Sustainable Tourism Acceleration Rating programme, which assesses businesses based on their eco-friendly practices. TAT also offers the CF-Hotels, which lists hotel operators’ carbon footprint.
Improved connectivity within the South-east Asia region is another key element of Thailand’s strategy. The kingdom is promoting travel routes with Laos through a new train service that connects the two countries. It is also collaborating with Malaysian tour operator Golden Century Tour and Travel to enhance the southern rail route.
To improve air connectivity, Thailand is working on charter flights and establishing new routes – two new routes launched in 2H2024 include a service between Xi’an and Koh Samui with Tibet Airlines, and a route from Astana to Phuket with Air Astana.
Destinations around the world are adjusting their offerings to appeal to increasingly discerning high-net-worth individual (HNWIs) travellers for whom exclusivity and authenticity are key.
Franka Gulin, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, noticed a post-lockdown shift in Asian touring behaviours. From previously large groups, a new type of FITs is on the rise, she noted.
Petra can tap into wellness tourism, leveraging Jordan’s strong reputation in medical services; ancient tombs called Loculi in Petra, pictured
“These types of tourists are in need of a curated tailored experience, and this is something that they expect of the premium destination,” she added.
Croatia has capitalised on this trend by offering small, luxury accommodation with rich histories, providing HNWIs with a sense of exclusivity as these are often difficult to book.
Jordan, another rising star in luxury tourism, is leveraging its wealth of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like Petra. However, historical appeal alone is not enough to attract luxury travellers.
“In Petra, 87 per cent of our tourists in 2023 were from North America and Western Europe and a few other (overseas markets). After the war in Gaza, we lost over 80 per cent of (them). Therefore, we have to look into the diversification of markets and products. Luxury tourism is fundamental to that direction,” said Fares A Braizat, chief commissioner of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority.
One opportunity that Petra could capture would be wellness tourism, he shared, highlighting how Jordan is highly regarded for its medical services and medical industry.
Over in Japan, overcrowding in key cities has been an issue. One strategy is to focus on regenerative tourism, especially to combat overtourism in certain areas, as well as to heighten travellers’ emotional involvement while increasing revenue, said Naomi Mano, president and CEO of Luxurique.
Mano added that working with municipalities, unique temples and destinations to curate exclusive experiences can channel tourist dollars to the local community.
“We are almost customising the emotional involvement that these travellers have with these destinations – because when you’re donating to something you believe in, or you’re donating your time to what you believe in, it gives a further emotional involvement to that destination,” she said.
Klook has renewed its collaboration with Wild Welfare, an international animal welfare charity, to bolster animal welfare standards within the tourism sector.
This renewed partnership aims to promote responsible and ethical tourism practices, elevating animal welfare standards globally and improving the care of animals involved in tourism activities.
The partnership encourages travelers to choose responsible wildlife encounters over practices like elephant rides; photo by Wild Welfare
As part of this collaboration, Wild Welfare will provide educational resources, including webinars, to help Klook employees better understand animal welfare best practices. The online programme will train participants to identify situations where good animal welfare principles may be compromised in tourism settings.
The partnership will also actively promote welfare-friendly tourism initiatives on Klook’s global platform, encouraging travellers to make informed choices about their activities and their impact on animal welfare. This includes supporting responsible wildlife encounters and shifting away from traditional practices like elephant rides.
Additionally, Klook and Wild Welfare will push for stronger animal welfare regulations within the tourism industry, such as collaborating with governments and associations to promote ethical practices and encouraging other travel agencies to adopt similar approaches, fostering a broader shift toward sustainable options for travellers.
An evaluation process for partner activities on the Klook platform will also be developed, with guidelines developed by Wild Welfare. The assessments aim to highlight potential welfare concerns at listed facilities in alignment with Klook’s animal protection policy, reassuring customers that partner locations and tours adhere to ethical standards.
Simon Marsh, director of Wild Welfare, remarked, “This partnership presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness of animal welfare issues in the tourism industry and drive meaningful change. Together, we can make a tangible difference for animals affected by tourism activities worldwide.”
Rebecca Keiller, senior manager of sustainability at Klook, stated, “Renewing our partnership with Wild Welfare reaffirms our commitment to responsible and ethical tourism. We look forward to collaborating to create a more sustainable and compassionate future for wildlife.”
Hilton has announced plans to double its focused service presence in Asia-Pacific, aiming to exceed 1,000 mid-market hotels in the coming years. The company currently has 483 focused service properties operating under the Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton brands, with an additional 594 properties in development.
Hilton’s portfolio of focused service brands, comprising of Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton and Spark by Hilton, has been boosted by recent openings in key tourism hotspots including Hilton Garden Inn Bangkok Riverside, Hilton Garden Inn Rayong and Hilton Garden Inn Guilin Yangshuo.
Hilton continues to expand across Asia-Pacific; Hilton Garden Inn Rayong, pictured
The pace of Hilton Garden Inn signings is also picking up steadily, with the most recent signings being Hilton Garden Inn Hoi An Tra Que Village (Vietnam), Hilton Garden Inn Nusa Dua (Bali) and Hilton Garden Inn Kota Kinabalu Tuaran (Malaysia).
Hampton by Hilton continues to expand across key Chinese gateway locations, most recently with Hampton by Hilton Beijing Zhongguancun Industrial Park, Hampton by Hilton Tianjin Binhai Sanda Avenue and Hampton by Hilton Guangzhou Tianhe Smart City.
Hilton recently launched Hilton Garden Inn Gen A, the brand’s new regional prototype for Greater China, to deliver innovative upscale accommodations with today’s travellers in mind. In 2025, Hilton will be looking at opportunities to expand the presence of Hilton Garden Inn by continuing to regionalise the brand and expanding franchising in India, China, Australia and Thailand. Hilton will also be looking to regionalise Hampton by Hilton across the region, as well as its other focused service brands, Tru by Hilton and Spark by Hilton.
Additionally, an expanding middle class in Asia-Pacific is showing sustained demand for intra-regional travel for both business and leisure and, as a result, record investments into hospitality assets and airline capacity.
“With more than 100 million Asians joining the middle class every year and intra-Asian travel now making up 60 per cent of international tourism arrivals in the region, we see continued demand for our focused service brands,” said Clarence Tan, senior vice president, development, Asia-Pacific, Hilton.
“As Asia’s burgeoning middle class hits the road in greater numbers, travellers in this segment are expected to be more value-driven and price conscious. Our owners are showing confidence in our efficient prototypes and kit-of-parts approach to focused service development that maximises time and investment for both owners and customers.”
Qatar Airways has operated its first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 aircraft from Doha to London on October 22, making the airline the largest and first carrier in the MENA region to offer passengers Starlink ultra-high-speed, low-latency internet.
Starlink is free to all passengers and operates from gate to gate.
The Starlink-equipped aircraft will operate on select routes as Qatar Airways pushes forward its roll-out plans
The national carrier is also set to exceed its initial target of three Starlink-equipped aircraft by introducing 12 Boeing 777-300s upgraded with this service by the end of 2024. Qatar Airways has further committed to rolling out the technology on its entire Boeing 777 fleet in 2025 – one year ahead of schedule – with the Airbus A350 fleet following in the summer of 2025.
Engineered by SpaceX, Starlink is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit that will provide passengers reliable, high-speed internet so they can stay connected with friends and family, stream entertainment, watch live sports, play online games, or work efficiently while in the air – all for free and with a simple one-click-access.
Qatar Airways’ group CEO, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “By providing Starlink reliable, seamless internet on board, we are connecting people to the things they love the most even at 35,000 feet, making every journey with us a memorable one.”
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) have entered a strategic partnership with ICCA and GBTA to have the latter two step in as knowledge partners to provide in-depth insights and opportunities for the thriving business events and travel sectors. This collaboration will benefit ATM 2025, set for Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28 to May 1.
During ATM 2025, ICCA will deliver seminars covering a range of topics for the business events industry, while GBTA will outline the prevailing trends in the business travel sector. These seminars will give the industry valuable insights into recent research, innovations, and best practices.
From left: ATM’s Danielle Curtis, ICCA’s Senthil Gopinath; and GBTA’s Catherine Logan
Danielle Curtis, exhibition director, ATM, said: “All of the latest research suggests that the business events and business travel sectors are going from strength to strength. These sectors have always been important verticals at ATM, and the official partnership with ICCA and GBTA for the 2025 edition will take our offering to the next level. By collaborating with these respected industry leaders, ATM aims to deliver even more value and innovation to its attendees and exhibitors.”
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has relaunched its global travel loyalty programme, MyMillennium, to offer its members enhanced benefits and experiences along with the introduction of three distinct membership tiers: Classic, Silver, and Prestige.
With this revamped programme, members can now enjoy enhanced benefits as they advance through each tier by booking stays or dining at any participating hotel or restaurant to earn MyPoints, along with promotions tailored to their specific preferences.
The revamped MyMillennium loyalty programme delivers enhanced benefits and experiences for members
Some highlights of the enhanced benefits and rewards based on the new tiers comprise exclusive member rates and offers on MHR properties and restaurants, priority check-in and check-out, welcome amenities, complimentary meals for children, exclusive invitations to MyMillennium events, and more.
At the core of this relaunch is MHR’s approach to understanding the evolving preferences of its guests, which is reflected in the company’s five key brand pillars – food and beverage innovation, sustainability, digital innovation, curated personalised guest experiences, and wellness offerings – all which serves as a launchpad to redefine the hospitality landscape through experiences shaped by sustainability, world-class dining, and tailored guest offerings.
“We designed MyMillennium to deliver meaningful moments in a personable manner where members can accumulate and redeem their MyPoints in ways that best serve their travel needs. Our goal is to help our members celebrate life’s milestones, whether they’re ticking off a bucket list destination or enjoying a quick business trip with seamless, fuss-free stays,” shared Carolyn Wishnowski, director of global branding, marketing, and loyalty at MHR.
SmartRyde has unveiled its new B2B website, streamlining airport transfer bookings for travel agencies, corporate clients, and event planners, with seamless access to premium airport transfer options worldwide.
The new portal features a user-friendly interface, allowing businesses to quickly browse and book private transfer services. Key features of the new B2B website include a clean, intuitive layout for easy navigation, real-time pricing, customisable options, 24/7 multilingual customer support, and secure payment processing.
SmartRyde’s new portal enables businesses to quickly browse and book private transfer services
The launch of the B2B website marks a significant milestone for SmartRyde as it continues to expand its footprint in the private airport transportation market. Travel agencies, hotels, DMCs, travel professionals and corporate clients can get special B2B rates to help them earn more and increase revenue. They can now experience the convenience of booking premium to different options of private airport transfers with a fleet of luxury to standard class vehicles to choose from.
“This portal would be used by not only OTAs but also TTAs (traditional travel agents), hotels and corporate customers. We will extend our technology and services not only to the big travel players but also to the small-mid size agent partners” said Sota Kimura, CEO of SmartRyde.
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) will host the 13th edition of its Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE 2025) from April 25 to 27 next year, with the first two days welcoming trade visitors.
Travel buyers can expect a wide range of exhibitors at the show – government entities, such as national and regional NTOs; tourism resources, such as theme parks and hotels; tourism organisations, such as travel agencies and destination services; and others across various niches like sports travel, gourmet and wellness.
Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo will be held from April 25 to 27 next year
Travel players exhibiting at MITE 2025 will benefit from extensive exposure, as more than 40,000 spectators are expected. Concurrent conferences and events will be live broadcasted to the world via the Expo official website and other social media platforms, with over seven million total viewership expected.
According to MGTO, last year’s MITE saw the participation of more than 37,000 attendees, 688 exhibitors, more than 500 trade buyers, and 534 trade visitors. More than 14,000 business matches materialised both online and in-person.
The event will be hosted at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo Hall ABC.
