The world’s biggest names in Travel & Tourism to gather in the Eternal City The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed the first wave of headline speakers for its milestone 25th Global Summit in Rome, set to take place from 28–30 September at the iconic Auditorium Parco della Musica. Returning to Europe in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Tourism, ENIT, the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region, the summit will convene business leaders, policymakers, and media from across the globe to debate the future of an industry that drives 10% of global GDP. This year’s agenda will spotlight the game-changing potential of artificial intelligence, sustainability imperatives, and bold strategies to secure the sector’s growth in the coming decade. The stellar line-up already confirmed features: William E. Heinecke (Minor Hotels), Matthew Upchurch (Virtuoso), Jane Sun (Trip.com Group), Gaurav Bhatnagar (TBO.com), Jerry Inzerillo (Diriyah Company), Pierfrancesco Vago (MSC Cruises), Paolo Barletta (Arsenale Spa), Andrea Grisdale (IC Bellagio), Desiree Bollier (The Bicester Collection), Anthony Capuano (Marriott International), Caroline Beteta (Visit California), Christie Travers-Smith (Google), Elie Maalouf (IHG), Decius Valmorbida Menezes (Amadeus), and Zubin Karkaria (VFS Global). Additional voices include Puneet Chhatwal (IHCL), Julie Shainock (Microsoft), Hashil Al Mahrouqi (OMRAN Group), and Massimo Caputi (Terme & Spa Italia). The summit will also mark a leadership handover: Greg O’Hara, Founder of Certares and current WTTC Chair, will pass the torch to Manfredi Lefebvre, Chairman of Heritage Group and co-chair of Abercrombie & Kent. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome such a distinguished group of speakers. The Eternal City provides the perfect backdrop for a Summit where Travel & Tourism leaders will gather to innovate, collaborate, and drive …

Malaysia Airlines has reinforced its long-term commitment to India with new routes, expanded services, and product upgrades, further strengthening its position as one of the country’s fastest-growing international carriers. At the airline’s Gala Dinner in Mumbai, held at the Grand Hyatt, and attended by top trade partners, dignitaries, and aviation leaders, the national carrier of Malaysia celebrated a year of record growth and unveiled bold plans for the future. Among the key announcements was the launch of daily flights to Trivandrum from 1 December 2025, an increase from the current four weekly services, alongside a boost in Ahmedabad frequencies from three to four flights per week from 28 October 2025. The airline also confirmed the upcoming rollout of a fully modernised A330neo fleet on select routes, with the entire Australia and New Zealand network scheduled to operate the aircraft by early 2026, making it the youngest and most modern fleet in the region. This reflects the airline’s ongoing efforts to blend its hallmark Malaysian Hospitality with the tastes and expectations of local markets. India remains one of the Malaysia Airlines’ most important markets, currently served by 77 weekly flights across ten cities, a number soon to increase to 80 weekly flights by the end of the year. Datuk Captain Izham Ismail, Group Managing Director, Malaysia Aviation Group, said, “India holds a very special place in our hearts. Our relationship is deeply rooted in history, shared culture and strong people-to-people ties. With the full restoration of our pre-pandemic capacity, we remain focused on enhancing our service offerings through three key pillars—cabin comfort, elevated in-flight dining and the hallmark of our brand—Malaysian Hospitality.” Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer, Airlines, Malaysia Aviation Group, …

Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, announced that the 40th Annual Con- vention is set for a record turnout. “We are just 10 days away with over 500 paid registrations, the highest pre-event figure ever,” he said, adding that total attendance, including invitees and guests is expected to exceed 1,000.

FAITH Conclave 2025 will produce recommendations and will be sent directly to the Prime Minister, urging to grant tourism infrastructure status, extend industry status to states and strengthen global promotions. Leaders said the sector’s GDP and job creation potential remain underutilised despite being the highest job multiplier.

At FAITH Conclave 2025, Suman Billa, Addl. Secretary and DG, MoT, Gol, said, “We should have at least three times the current number of branded hotel rooms.” With aviation connectivity growing rapidly, he called for investment-friendly policies, longer loan repayment ten- ures and state incentives to accelerate hospitality expansion.

Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa called for a ₹20,000 crore investment to promote ‘Incredible India’ globally, positioning tourism as the key sector to offset impending 50 per cent ‘Trumpian tariffs’. He stressed on the industry’s potential to create 63 mn jobs, attract high-value travellers and drive long-term economic growth.

India’s adventure tourism market has doubled in a decade. ATOAI projects it will surpass ₹3.9 lakh crore by 2030 and may even surpass 27 lakh crore by 2033, driven by rising demand, infra upgrades and responsible adventure experiences, as per Arshdeep Anand, VP, ATOAI.

FAITH Conclave 2025 themed ‘Indian Tourism: Invincible Spirit!’ begins today in Delhi. “Industry leaders will chart the Tourism@2047 vision, aiming for a US$ 3 tn tourism economy and 200 million new jobs by 2047,” said Puneet Chhatwal, Chairman, FAITH and MD & CEO, IHCL.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi will host next TAAI Convention from 17-19 September 2025 under the theme ‘Business with Goodness’. Abdulla Yousuf, Director, International Ops, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “The event will foster enduring partnerships between Abu Dhabi and India.”

TravTalk and VisitBritain won the ‘Most Effective Performance Driven Campaign’ at Magzimise Awards 2025 for the ‘Starring Great Britain – A Premium Collection 2025’ campaign. The award recognises the impactful campaigns executed in partnership with magazine publishers.