ITIC Summit Highlights Optimistic Outlook and Promising Strides for Tourism as We Rebuild Responsibly

The annual global tourism investment summit, held in partnership with World Travel Market (WTM) and entitled, "Invest, Finance and Rebuild the Travel and Tourism Industry", came to a close on Tuesday with positive takeaways and tangible solutions for delegates and the sector as a whole.

Focusing on FDI in the travel and tourism industry, key themes and outtakes running throughout the conference covered:

Cross-sector collaboration: reaching out to other sectors including education, employment, technology and health is more important than ever before to rebuild the travel industry

Domestic tourism: this is not just an interim alternative but essential for building a new era of tourism. Through taking pride in our own countries and by having greater knowledge of our tourism product we can lead from the front for a more sustainable tourism future

Technology: the digitalisation of our sector must run throughout every area of development as we rebuild

Investing in training: as we move towards a 'new norm' investing, training and empowering our frontline tourism workers will drive a more sustainable travel industry for decades to come

Key take outs from speakers included Sir Tim Clark's (President of Emirates Airline) emphasis on now being the best time to innovate and invest with the mergers and acquisitions panellists also sharing optimistic views on the continuing interest from businesses to invest in tourism.

With hopes of a vaccine looking more promising over the coming months, experts explained how the tourism sector, and in particular aviation, will be at the heart of the international operation of distributing and immunising citizens the world over. Therefore, playing a critical role in the global economic recovery.

Senior speakers, including Lord Rami Ranger, President Entrepreneurship, Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club, also placed importance on the notion of building a Commonwealth tourism offering to drive investment in developing countries. By regrouping the 54 countries from across five continents, the tourism product, branded as one destination, will harness the cultural diversity and values of Commonwealth nations to make this "region" the most exciting tourism zone in the world.

On the Investing in Africa session, Rwanda was highlighted as positioning itself as a sound and well-regulated International Financial Centre of choice in Africa. In doing so it will become the main conduit to boosting and attracting investment in the continent in order to restore and rebuild the region's travel and tourism sector.