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More than 200 CEOs, tourism chiefs and global decision-makers are confirmed for the WTTC Global Summit in Valletta — from Hilton, IHG and Four Seasons to Trip.com, AirAsia, MSC, Expedia, Marriott and some of the world’s most influential tourism boards.
VALLETTA, Malta —If there were ever a dream guest list for the global travel and tourism industry, this may be it.
From October 7–9, 2026, Malta will become one of the most important meeting places in world tourism when more than 200 of the industry’s leading CEOs, senior executives, tourism board chiefs and decision-makersdescend on Valletta for the 26th World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit.
And judging by the confirmed names, this won’t be just another tourism conference.
It is shaping up to be a remarkable concentration of the people who actually run, invest in, sell, promote and influence global travel. For three days, one of Europe’s smallest countries will host some of tourism’s biggest names.
Hilton, IHG, Four Seasons, AirAsia, Trip.com and MSC
At the top of the confirmed list are executives who control some of the world’s most recognizable travel brands.
Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton, is coming.
So is Elie Maalouf, Global CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Alejandro Reynal, President and CEO of Four Seasons, is confirmed.
Tony Fernandes, the outspoken aviation entrepreneur and CEO of Capital A, the company behind AirAsia, will be there.
Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, will join them.
And the cruise industry will have serious weight in the room with Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group. These are only the beginning.
A Tourism Power List
The confirmed attendee list reads almost like a directory of global tourism influence.
Among those registered are Gilda Perez-Alvarado of Accor and Orient Express; Audrey Hendley of American Express Travel; Greg O’Hara of Certares; Paul Griffiths of Dubai Airports; Alfonso Paredes of Expedia Group B2B; Gloria Fluxà of Iberostar; James Thornton of Intrepid Travel; Jason Wynn of JPMorganChase/Chase Travel; Eijiro Yamakita of JTB Corp; Neal Jones of Marriott International; William E. Heinecke of Minor Hotel Group; Gaurav Bhatnagar of TBO.COM; Zubin Karkaria of VFS Global; Matthew Upchurch of Virtuoso; and Muzzammil Ahussain of Almosafer.
The hotel sector alone is formidable.
Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, Chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, is confirmed, along with Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of Indian Hotels Company; Simón Pedro Barceló, Executive Chairman of Barceló Hotel Group; Laurent Gardinier, President of Relais & Châteaux; Shannon Knapp, President & CEO of The Leading Hotels of the World; and Elisabetta Fabri, President & CEO of Starhotels.
Add aviation, airports, cruise, rail, tour operators, investment, technology, payments and travel distribution, and Malta begins to look less like the host of a conference and more like the temporary headquarters of the global tourism economy.
And Then Come the Tourism Boards
Perhaps even more significant is the collection of destination leaders expected in Malta. Tourism board CEOs and national destination chiefs from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas are confirmed.
Among them:
Adam Oubuih, CEO of Atout France; Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board; Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Authority; Phillipa Harrison, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Martin Nydegger, CEO of Switzerland Tourism; Latia Duncombe, Director General of The Islands of the Bahamas; Miguel Sanz, Director General of Turespaña; Carlos Abade, President of Turismo de Portugal; Juliana Kagwa, CEO of Uganda Tourism Board; Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of Visit Rwanda; Martina Bienenfeld, CEO of Zagreb Tourist Board; and Harris Whitbeck, Guatemala’s Minister of Tourism.
Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California, is also among the confirmed participants.
That combination matters.
Put hotel CEOs, airline and airport executives, cruise leaders, investors, technology companies, tour operators and destination chiefs into the same rooms, and conversations can move very quickly from speeches to deals, partnerships and investment.
Malta Gets Its Moment
For senior executives looking to be part of this landmark gathering, WTTC is offering a limited number of Executive Access Passes to the 2026 Global Summit. For the first time, senior leaders from organizations outside the WTTC Membership community can join the world’s leading Travel & Tourism CEOs and government leaders in Valletta, with access to the full Summit agenda, exclusive networking opportunities and key social events. Executive Access Passes are limited and available now. Find out more and secure your Executive Access Pass
For Malta, this could be much bigger than hosting a prestigious international event.
WTTC says never before has the island welcomed such a concentration of global Travel & Tourism leadership.
Many delegates will also be experiencing Malta for the first time, giving the country an unusually powerful opportunity to put its tourism product, connectivity, investment environment and hospitality directly in front of people capable of making major commercial decisions.
Malta Tourism Authority CEO Carlo Micallefsees precisely that opportunity.
He said the arrival of more than 200 influential tourism leaders represents not only an international endorsement of Malta but an opportunity to put the country’s people, tourism vision and investment potential directly in front of those shaping the industry’s future.
The relationships created during the three-day gathering, Micallef said, could generate opportunities for Malta “for years to come.”
FUTU[RE]SET: More Than a Catchphrase?
The official theme is “FUTU[RE]SET: Shaping the Future of Travel & Tourism.”
It comes at an unusually complicated moment for tourism.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how travel is searched, booked and serviced. Consumer expectations continue to shift. Geopolitical uncertainty can alter travel flows almost overnight. Destinations are wrestling with sustainability, capacity and community concerns while simultaneously competing for investment and higher-value visitors.
WTTC says the Malta discussions will examine disruption, investment, resilience and the need for stronger public-private cooperation.
But perhaps the bigger story is simply who will be in the room.
Gloria Guevara Brings the Industry Together
For Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, bringing more than 200 top executives to Malta demonstrates the global strength of Travel & Tourism.
“Travel & Tourism is entering a new era,” Guevara said, pointing to the Summit as an opportunity for leaders to address the forces reshaping the sector, exchange ideas and strengthen collaboration.
That may be exactly what makes Malta particularly interesting.
Tourism conferences happen every week somewhere in the world.
It is far less common to get the CEOs and senior leaders of Hilton, IHG, Four Seasons, Trip.com, AirAsia/Capital A, MSC, Expedia, Marriott, American Express Travel, JTB, VFS Global, Virtuoso, Iberostar and dozens of other major organizations together — while simultaneously bringing national tourism leaders into the conversation.
That is a different level of gathering.
eTurboNews Will Be in Malta
eTurboNews is confirmed to be at the WTTC Global Summit in Malta.For eTN, the story will not simply be what happens on the official stage.
The real story may be what happens when this extraordinary collection of tourism leaders meets face-to-face in Valletta.
- What are CEOs really worried about?
- Where is tourism investment heading?
- How quickly will AI change the travel business?
- Which destinations are winning the competition for visitors and investment — and which are falling behind?
- Can public and private sector leaders genuinely cooperate on sustainability, resilience and tourism growth?
- And perhaps most importantly: Who will talk to whom in Malta, and what could come out of those conversations?
With more than 200 global tourism leaders expected, there will be plenty to talk about.
For three days in October, the center of the global Travel & Tourism conversation will be a Mediterranean island with a population of barely more than half a million.
Malta is getting ready. So is eTurboNews.And judging from this guest list, the global tourism industry should be watching.
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