World Tourism Forum Lucerne 2018 in Costa Navarino, Peloponnese

Following a proposal by Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura, Greece was selected to host the Lucerne World Travel Forum for the first time. The WTFL 2018, a top annual meeting of world tourism leaders, was co-organized by the Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Peloponnese Region and Costa Navarino in Pylos, Peloponnese.

The WTFL is considered a leading interactive platform where sector leaders to meet and discuss the priorities and policies that shape the future of global tourism.

Every second year it takes place outside Switzerland, in order to highlight at new world destinations.

For several years, the WTFL Think Tank has brought together an exclusive group of influential leaders from inside and outside the industry to meet for a forward-looking discussion on key challenges and opportunities in the global travel, tourism and hospitality.

WTFL Think Tank invites its participants to:

• Join an exclusive gathering of the tourism industry's most influential CEOs, Ministers, Investors, Professors and Start-Ups
• Bridge the silos and learn from the best
• Discuss the future challenges of the tourism, travel and hospitality industry in a face to face environment
• Shape a common vision for the future of tourism

The key focus of the WTFL Think Tank 2018 was Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism Growth. Over the next 20 years, we expect the near doubling of international tourist arrivals and even more impressive growth in domestic tourism. To sustain this growth in a way that is consistent with our goals of environmental sustainability and social inclusion, massive new infrastructure investment will be required from inside and outside our sector. This includes both physical infrastructure (e.g. airlift, road and rail transport, ports, streamlined borders, accommodation, tourist attractions, ICT and public services) as well as soft infrastructure (e.g. human resources in hospitality, tourism marketing and management, disruptive technology, and the aviation sector).

To create this new infrastructure will require significant funding, the deployment of innovative technologies and capacity-building support.The importance of PPPs and institutional investors to close the infrastructure gap is taking even greater prominence in raising new capital where the public purse is stretched. Innovative new models, where the public and private sectors as well as communities are joining forces, are emerging across the world.

The WTFL Think Tank explored these issues from the perspective of policy makers, investors, private operators, academia and other stakeholders.  

Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura underlined in her closing address that tourism growth and sustainability should be all-inclusive: involving and benefiting the communities and residents as well as the visitors, and at the same time operating on all levels of the economy while ensuring the preservation of the natural environment.

Peloponnese Region Governor Petros Tatoulis noted the importance of the international event for the reputation of the region stressing that it is a big opportunity particularly ahead of the positive outlook for the further development of the area’s diverse tourist product. “The Peloponnese will emerge as the new Greek destination during the next 20 years,” he added.

CEO World Tourism Forum Lucerne Martin Barth verified the upward trend in global tourism and predicted the Peloponnese region’s strong presence in the coming years and announced that WTFL 2019 will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland between May 1-3.

As noted on its website, the WTFL Think Tank stands for sharing ideas with experienced people from different sectors in order to positively shape the future of the global travel, tourism and hospitality industry. 

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