The ninth Global Travel and Tourism Summit is being organised under the patronage of His Excellency Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President, Brazil, by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). As reported earlier by TravelBiz Monitor, the two-day event will take place in Florianópolis, the capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina from May 15-16, 2009. Transforming Economies and Removing Barriers Towards Global Integration through Travel & Tourism are two of the main themes of the Summit.
More than 50 speakers and panellists from across the globe participating at the two-day Summit include: Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr, Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean; Firmin Antonio, Honorary President, Accor Brasil; John Walker, Chairman, Oxford and Tourism Economics; Martin Felstein, Consultant to the Council of Economic Advisers; Hubert Joly, CEO, Carlson; Fernando Pinto, CEO, TAP Air Portugal; Sebastián Escarrer, Vice-President, Sol Meliá; Domenico de Masi, Professor, Labour Sociology and Strategy at the University of Rome; Jabu Mabuza, |