This week, the people who shape how the world travels are all in one place, and that place is Valletta.
From 7 to 9 October 2026, Malta is hosting the 26th Global Summit of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). It’s the first time the summit has ever come to the Maltese Islands, and it’s the biggest tourism gathering the country has ever hosted. Hotel group CEOs, airline bosses, tourism ministers from around the world and a couple of former Prime Ministers are all meeting a short walk from Fort St Elmo.
Here’s what the summit actually is, who’s coming, and why it matters for an island of just over half a million people.
What is the WTTC, and why does its summit matter?
The World Travel & Tourism Council represents the private side of global travel: the hotel chains, airlines, cruise lines, booking platforms and tour companies that most of us use without thinking about who runs them. Once a year, WTTC brings those business leaders together with governments for a summit, held in a different country each time. Perth hosted it in 2024 and Rome in 2025.
What makes the summit different from a normal trade fair is the level of the people in the room. It’s where decisions about the future of travel get discussed at the very top, between the companies that sell trips and the governments that decide visa rules, airport investment and tourism strategy.
A summit in a Knights’ hospital
The venue is a story in itself. The summit is taking place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, which was once the Sacra Infermeria, the great hospital of the Knights of St John. Built in the 16th century, it was one of the most advanced hospitals in Europe in its day, famous for its enormous Long Ward and for serving patients from silver plates for hygiene.
Today, the same building that once cared for sick knights and sailors is welcoming the leaders of global tourism. It sits on the edge of the Grand Harbour, close to Fort St Elmo, which makes it a very Maltese setting for a very international event. If you’re curious about the rest of the capital, our Valletta guide is a good place to start.
Who’s coming?
More than 100 speakers are on the programme, and the list reads like a who’s who of global travel. A few names that stand out:
- Former world leaders: Justin Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada, and José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain.
- Hotel giants: the heads of Hilton, Accor, IHG, Four Seasons and Marriott’s European business.
- Travel platforms and airlines: leaders from Trip.com, American Express Travel, AirAsia’s parent group, ITA Airways and Dubai Airports.
- Governments: tourism ministers from countries including Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Türkiye, India, Egypt and South Africa, plus senior figures from the European Commission and the United States.
- Big tech: representatives from Microsoft and Google.
There’s a lovely local touch too. Malta’s food scene is part of the programme, with chefs connected to ION Harbour by Simon Rogan and Noni, both in Valletta, alongside academics from the University of Malta’s tourism department.
Who’s coming, country by country
Here’s a closer look at some of the speakers on the official programme, grouped by the country of their government or organisation:
- 🇲🇹 Malta: Prime Minister Robert Abela, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela, Ministers Silvio Schembri and Jonathan Attard, MTA CEO Carlo Micallef, plus Maltese chefs and University of Malta academics.
- 🇺🇸 United States: Nick Adams (Minister for Tourism and Presidential Envoy), Robert O’Leary (US Department of Commerce), Diane J. Sabatino (US Customs and Border Protection), Christopher Nassetta (Hilton), Geoff Freeman (U.S. Travel Association), Caroline Beteta (Visit California) and Audrey Hendley (American Express Travel).
- 🇮🇳 India: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Minister for Tourism), Suman Billa (Ministry of Tourism), Puneet Chhatwal (Indian Hotels Company, the group behind Taj Hotels), Gaurav Bhatnagar (TBO.com) and Zubin Karkaria (VFS Global, the visa services company he founded in Mumbai).
- 🇪🇸 Spain: former Prime Minister José María Aznar, Minister Jordi Hereu, Secretary of State Rosario Sánchez Grau, Miguel Sanz (Turespaña) and Gloria Fluxà (Iberostar).
- 🇮🇹 Italy: Tourism Minister Gianmarco Mazzi, WTTC Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Jörg Eberhart (ITA Airways), Carlo Bonomi (Investindustrial), Paolo Barletta (Arsenale Group) and Andrea Grisdale (IC Bellagio).
- 🇨🇦 Canada: former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
- 🇫🇷 France: Sébastien Bazin (Accor) and Laurent Gardinier (Relais & Châteaux).
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Vice Minister Abdulmohsen Al-Mazyad, Qusai Al-Fakhri (Tourism Development Fund), Aqeel Al-Shibani (Saudi Tourism Authority) and Jerry Inzerillo (Diriyah Company).
- 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇭🇷 Croatia and 🇹🇷 Türkiye: Tourism Ministers Olga Kefalogianni, Tonči Glavina and Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
- 🇪🇬 Egypt and 🇿🇦 South Africa: Ministers Sherif Fathy Attia and Patricia de Lille.
- 🇲🇽 Mexico and 🇬🇹 Guatemala: Bernardo Cueto (Quintana Roo), Michelle Fridman (Jalisco) and Minister Harris Whitbeck.
- 🇨🇳 China and Hong Kong: Jane Sun (Trip.com Group) and Pansy Ho (Shun Tak Holdings).
- 🇯🇵 Japan: Eijiro Yamakita (JTB Corp.).
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates: Paul Griffiths (Dubai Airports) and Mohamed AlSharhan (World Governments Summit).
- 🇲🇾 Malaysia and 🇹🇭 Thailand: Tony Fernandes (Capital A, the group behind AirAsia) and William Heinecke (Minor International).
- 🇺🇬 Uganda: Doreen Silver Katusiime (Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities).
- 🇪🇺 European Union: Commissioners Apostolos Tzitzikostas (Transport and Tourism) and Glenn Micallef (Youth, Culture and Sport), and MEPs Daniel Attard and Nikolina Brnjac.
Malta has a special reason to smile at that last row: European Commissioner Glenn Micallef is Maltese, and so is MEP Daniel Attard.
What will they talk about?
The summit’s theme is FUTU[RE]SET, a play on “future” and “reset”. The idea is that travel is changing fast, and the industry needs to rethink how it works. Discussions are built around a handful of big questions:
- AI and technology: how artificial intelligence is changing the way we plan, book and experience trips.
- Easier borders: digital identity and smoother travel through airports.
- The right kind of growth: how destinations can welcome visitors without losing what makes them special.
- Sustainability: reducing the environmental impact of travel.
- Accessible travel: making trips easier for people with disabilities.
- Jobs and skills: attracting young people into tourism careers.
- Small businesses: support for the family-run guesthouses, tour operators and restaurants that make up the vast majority of the travel world.
Some of these questions land very close to home. Malta knows better than most what it means to balance a booming tourism industry with crowded hotspots, pressure on roads and infrastructure, and the need to make sure tourism benefits local communities. Many Maltese will be watching to see what ideas come out of the week.
A voice for young people
One of the most interesting parts of this year’s summit is the launch of the WTTC Youth Movement. Around 90 students and 10 professors from 16 universities and schools, representing more than 30 nationalities, are taking part in the discussions in Valletta. Together, they’re set to produce a youth-led “Malta Declaration” on the future of travel. If it takes off, Malta’s name will be attached to the next generation’s vision for tourism.
Why this matters for Malta
Tourism is enormous for Malta. According to WTTC’s own research, travel and tourism is forecast to contribute around US$4.9 billion to Malta’s economy in 2026. That’s close to 17% of the country’s GDP, supporting more than 72,000 jobs, or more than one in every five jobs on the islands.
Hosting the summit puts Malta in front of the people who decide where hotels get built, which routes airlines fly and which destinations get promoted around the world. For three days, the decision-makers of global travel are walking through Valletta, eating Maltese food and seeing the islands for themselves. That kind of exposure is hard to buy.
The summit will also end with the announcement of where the 2027 Global Summit will be held. A record number of destinations from four continents expressed interest in hosting future editions, which shows just how much countries value the event.
Visiting Valletta this week?
If you’re in Malta from 7 to 9 October, expect Valletta to be a little busier than usual, especially around the Mediterranean Conference Centre and the lower end of the city, with extra security and some traffic around official events. Public transport or the ferries are the easiest way in.
And it’s a big week for Malta in other ways too. This weekend also brings Birgu by Candlelight and the €3 candlelit opening of Fort St Angelo. See everything in our guide to things to do in Malta this weekend.
A small island on the world stage
It’s become a familiar story. Malta is small, but it keeps finding itself at the centre of things, whether it’s a village like Ħal Kirkop being named European Christmas Village or the world’s tourism leaders choosing Valletta for their most important meeting of the year.
For a country whose history has always been shaped by the people who arrived on its shores, there’s something fitting about the future of travel being discussed right here, in a Knights’ hospital by the Grand Harbour.
Find the official programme and updates on the WTTC Global Summit website and from the Malta Tourism Authority.