Puerto Rico to host Global Tourism Summit in 2020

The location of the 2020 Global Summit, regarded as the most important event in the tourism sector worldwide, was announced by Gloria Guevara Manzo, president of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and Puerto Rico governor, Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, at the closing ceremony of the last Global Summit in Seville, Spain.

Puerto Rico, which attracts more than three million visitors to its shores each year, will host the event at the Puerto Rico Convention Centre in San Juan.

Tourism is one of the leading sectors stimulating economic growth and employment worldwide.

In 2018, the global tourism sector grew at 3.9 per cent to contribute a record $8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs in the world economy.

Manzo stated: “We are delighted to bring next year’s Global Summit to the beautiful tropical Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, a welcoming and diverse destination, which not only offers visitors glorious beaches, it is also home to the only tropical rainforest in the US.

“Our annual Global Summit brings together the most influential figures from the public and private sector to address the challenges and opportunities facing the tourism industry and is the most important event in the calendar each year.

“Hosting the Global Summit in Puerto Rico reflects the commitment and efforts of the government and tourist board to grow both business and leisure travel.”

Proving the power of public private partnerships, the US territory has recently enacted a joint management and marketing governance structure between the PRTC and Discover Puerto Rico, a newly created and independent destination marketing organisation responsible for marketing Puerto Rico to the World.

Governor Nevares emphasised: “Tourism is instrumental in Puerto Rico’s economic development plans, and has proven to be the most resilient sector in our economy.

“More so, we believe that sound public policy that effectively attends to private sector needs can be a catalyst for change.

“Events like the WTTC Global Summit not only give us an opportunity to showcase the diversity of our destination’s tourism offering, but also facilitate spaces for the public and private sectors to define the future of tourism together.”