WTTC Rome 2025: Roadmap for global tourism

18-09-25

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) will hold its 25th Global Summit from September 28 to 30, 2025, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome. At a pivotal moment for global tourism governance, Gloria Guevara will take the helm as WTTC Interim CEO, following the medical leave of Julia Simpson, with the explicit endorsement of WTTC Chair Greg O’Hara and Chair-Elect Manfredi Lefebvre. The organization emphasizes that her experience and leadership will ensure the continuity and success of the event.

Guevara’s return to the helm is not a mere anecdote but a confirmation of her significant influence within the industry. She served as WTTC President & CEO from 2017 to 2021, a period during which she successfully steered the Cancún Summit amid the global health crisis and positioned the private sector as an indispensable partner for governments and international organizations. Later, she played a strategic role as senior advisor in Saudi Arabia’s tourism transformation and co-organized the WTTC Summit in Riyadh in 2022, strengthening public-private collaboration networks that remain critical today. This background—combined with her solid experience in both government and business—explains why her name embodies trust, foresight, and execution capacity when circumstances demand steady leadership.

One of the most anticipated moments in Rome will be a dialogue between Gloria Guevara and the Secretary-General-elect of UN Tourism, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais (UAE). This will be the first time the two leaders share a stage since Al Nowais’ election, and their conversation is expected to serve as a barometer for the relationship between the strength of the global private sector and the intergovernmental agency that will guide the tourism agenda starting in 2026. According to some sources, the session will explore how WTTC and UN Tourism can foster inclusive growth amid geopolitical tensions, digital transformation, and sustainability demands. Al Nowais—the first woman to lead the organization in 50 years—was elected in May in Segovia, with formal ratification expected by year’s end and her term beginning on January 1, 2026.

The Roman stage will also witness a significant institutional transition within WTTC: current Chair Greg O’Hara (Certares) will hand over leadership to Manfredi Lefebvre, a figure with decades of experience at the helm of leading groups such as Heritage Group and Abercrombie & Kent. This transition, announced months ago, will be formalized during the summit and symbolizes a new chapter that aims to combine an investment-oriented vision with innovation and sustainability. The joint presence of Lefebvre and Guevara creates a leadership duo well-positioned to build consensus and deliver results as the sector faces challenges related to competitiveness, regulation, and the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence.

In this context, Gloria Guevara’s role takes on singular importance: she is a leader who understands the language of major global corporations while remaining attuned to the realities of destinations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 80% of the tourism fabric. Her leadership style—evidence-based, goal-oriented, and open to multilateral cooperation—has proven highly effective in bridging often divergent interests.

In Rome, Guevara’s priority will be to translate dialogue among businesses, governments, and international organizations into concrete commitments: facilitating travel with enhanced health and technological safeguards, promoting investments that accelerate decarbonization without undermining competitiveness, and ensuring that digitalization—including AI—creates quality jobs and local value.

Rome will be far more than the backdrop for a conference: it will be the turning point where strategies and leadership shaping the future of global tourism are defined. The decisions emerging from WTTC Rome 2025 will set the roadmap for an industry essential to the global economy, consolidating the Eternal City as a hub for the future of tourism.

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