The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has defined eight strategic priorities to guide the future of the global Travel & Tourism private sector.
These priorities reflect the needs and perspectives of the global private sector, reinforcing WTTC’s commitment to unlocking growth, maximising the sector’s potential guiding investment decisions and driving meaningful transformation across the industry.
The priorities are the result of an extensive consultation process carried out over several months, including more than 200 interviews with CEOs and industry leaders.
The outcomes now form the foundation of a renewed strategic agenda focused on addressing the sector’s most pressing challenges while enabling long-term, sustainable and resilient growth.
The eight strategic priorities are:
- Enabling safe and seamless journeys through digital standards and biometrics
- Strengthening destination stewardship and addressing overcrowding (unmanaged travel)
- Advancing climate and environmental sustainability initiatives
- Harnessing emerging technologies, including AI and robotics
- Enhancing crisis preparedness, management and recovery
- Expanding global connectivity and developing new travel corridors
- Supporting workforce development, talent retention, and mobility
- Promoting policies that drive investment and new growth opportunities
Through the discussion process, WTTC identified key structural and emerging issues, including complex and fragmented traveller journeys, challenging visa processes and identity digital systems, limited connectivity, and disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, pandemics and climate-related events.
Additional challenges include uneven digital transformation and AI adoption, labour shortages, investment constraints, environmental pressures and growing tensions between travellers and local communities.
“These priorities reflect the breadth, diversity and expertise of our membership,” said Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC.
“Representing every segment of Travel and Tourism, including airports, airlines, hotels, cruises, car companies, technology enterprises and destinations among others; they are a statement of what the sector believes is needed to unlock growth, resilience and opportunity.
“Just as importantly, they reaffirm our commitment to working hand in hand with governments and international organisations, because lasting progress is only possible when the public and private sectors move forward together.”
Complementing these priorities, WTTC has also identified a set of strategic enablers that will support delivery and impact: economic, social and environmental research and data insights, global convening power, policy and advocacy capabilities, partnerships and coalition-building efforts, global campaigns and initiatives, as well as a strong digital agenda.
# China will become the world’s leading Travel & Tourism (T&T) economy in the coming years if the sustained growth the nation is currently experiencing continues, according to the WTTC.
The Asian powerhouse’s wider T&T sector continues to outperform regionally, expanding by 9.9% in 2025 to reach $1.8 trillion, more than double the global growth average of 4.1%. China is also playing a central role in propelling Asia-Pacific to become the fastest-growing T&T region in the world, achieving 8.1% growth.
