WTM London to host tourism investment summit

The International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC) will hold its Global Tourism Investment Summit next week in partnership with World Travel Market London.

Called ‘Invest, Finance & Restart’, the summit will take place on November 1-2 at ExCeL London (pictured), and will connect investors with owners or developers of untapped tourism projects.

The first day (November 1) will feature insights about the restart of the global tourism industry and will take place in the venue’s Platinum Suite.

Those who cannot attend WTM London in person will be able to follow the event live through a virtual platform.

The following day (November 2), will see B2B meetings between project owners or developers and the ITIC team in the Deal Room in ExCeL’s South Gallery Room 12.

Ibrahim Ayoub, ITIC’s group chief executive, said: “The Invest, Finance & Restart Summit will pave the way for the transformational paradigm shift that is occurring as tourism will increasingly have to integrate the environmental, health, social inclusion and good governance issues in the future.”

Dr Taleb Rifai, ITIC chairman, added: “The pandemic has disrupted the world economy, but tourism is a resilient sector. Sure signs are emerging to demonstrate that the sector continues its resilience and is bouncing back and, indeed, has always bounced back from past crises. “

He said ITIC and its Invest Tourism division supports new hotels, resorts and infrastructure that are sustainable, community-based developments.

Simon Press, WTM London Exhibition Director, commented: “WTM London is thrilled to be hosting the ITIC-led initiative on ‘Invest, Finance & Restart’, which aims to put new travel entrepreneurs in contact with investors, to help make their dreams a reality and to help put the tourism sector well on the road to recovery.”

Those taking part include Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett; Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, acting chairman, of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; Elena Kountoura, MEP; Julia Simpson, chief executive of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC); and Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.