World's biggest tourism summit lands in Perth

• 68th United States Secretary of State John Kerry and environmentalist Robert Irwin headlining World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit in Perth this week
• More than 800 delegates registered including international government ministers, global tourism leaders, and public and private investors
• First time the world-renowned conference has been held in Australia
• Aims to showcase Western Australia as a tourism destination and attractive place for investment
• Summit supported by Western Australian Government, Business Events Perth and Business Events Australia

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit descends on Perth today, bringing together international government representatives, tourism leaders, investors and media to discuss global tourism, consider investment opportunities and explore Western Australia.

Supported by the WA Government, the three-day conference will be headlined by John Kerry, who served as US Secretary of State from 2013-2017 under the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Alongside Secretary Kerry is beloved Australian environmentalist and television personality Robert Irwin, son of Aussie legend Steve Irwin.

A host of other high-profile speakers will also share their insights and experiences across the three days, including TripAdvisor CEO Matt Goldberg, Trip.com CEO Jane Sun, American Express Travel President Audrey Hendley and Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton.

The local economy will be boosted through visitor spend with more than 800 attendees registered for the event, particularly given business delegates typically spend up to five times more than the average leisure visitor.

The event will also help showcase WA as a must-visit tourism destination, with attendees set to experience some of the State's tourism attractions and experiences firsthand, including wine and food experiences in the Swan Valley, day trips to Rottnest Island, afternoon cruises on the Swan River, plus visits to Esperance, Broome, Ningaloo and Margaret River.

This is the first time the WTTC Global Summit has been held in Australia, and will elevate WA as an emerging global leader in tourism trade, with the conference expected to drive investment and development in tourism accommodation, attractions and inbound aviation routes.

WTTC's member base includes global leaders and over 200 Chairpersons, Presidents and CEOs of the world's top tourism companies, including the Cruise Lines International Association, Emirates, Expedia, Google, TripAdvisor, Trip.com and Visa.

The 2024 Summit is proudly supported by the WA Government in partnership with Business Events Perth and Business Events Australia.

Learn more about the 2024 Global Summit at www.wttc.org.

Comments attributed to Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:

"We're incredibly excited to be hosting this prestigious conference for the first time in Australia, welcoming some of the most influential tourism and business leaders in the world to Western Australia.

"We will be using this event to showcase our significant trade and investment opportunities to key decision makers, to drive long-term sustainable growth for our tourism industry and continue diversifying our economy.

"It's also a massive opportunity to put WA on the map as a must-visit holiday destination, with delegates set to experience some of our amazing tourism attractions and experiences across the city and in our regions.

"Of course, in the short term, the WTTC Global Summit will deliver an immediate boost to our local economy through visitor spend, which is particularly important given business delegates typically spend up to five times more than the average leisure visitor."