The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 24th Global Summit is underway in Boorloo (Perth), the first time it has been held in Australia.
The WTTC Global Summit is considered the pinnacle of the tourism industry calendar.
The invitation-only conference has attracted more than 800 delegates and close to 100 media representatives from across the world.
Before the summit's commencement, hosts Tourism WA organised media trips for attending press to experience some of the State's offerings that include rich Indigenous experiences in the Broome, Esperance, Perth, Rottnest Island and Fremantle.
The conference theme, 'Ancient Land: New Perspectives', is aligned to what the modern traveller is looking for, authentic Indigenous experiences, according to WTTC.
Surveys consistently find visitors to Australia have a very high level of interest in Indigenous cultural experiences. Indigenous tourism is a growing sector and has vast potential to tap into global interest.
At the Summit's opening press conference, Western Australian Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Transport and for Tourism, Rita Saffioti, mentioned the key points for WA's tourism strategy includes Indigenous tourism, as well as developing Perth as Australia's western gateway, increasing direct flights, and increasing hotel investment in particular high end accommodation.
"We know tourists from around the world want to be able to experience our original culture, our Indigenous culture," the Minister said.
"We have a dedicated plan to support tourism experiences across the state, and we continue to work to invest in accommodation and experiences to make sure WA can continue to support new Indigenous Aboriginal tourism."
In Australia, tourism is big business. Travel and tourism as an industry contributes $265 billion to the Australian economy, which equates to 10 percent of the national GDP, and provides jobs to approximately 11 percent of the workforce, some 1.6 million jobs.
The contribution of travel and tourism to global GDP has almost reached pre-pandemic levels at US$9.9 trillion, just 4 percent under sector's peak.
While WTTC is considered the global authority on tourism, its members include the top 200 CEOs, Chairpersons, and Presidents of companies such as Emirates, Etihad Airlines, Hilton Group, Visa, and Expedia, the industry is largely made up of small to medium enterprises.
WTTC President and chief executive Julia Simpson said that a new platform to support SMEs called 'Together in Travel' will be launched during the summit.
Also launched at the summit will be an Indigenous Tourism Report that highlights the value of Indigenous tourism, examples of best practice from key destinations where Indigenous tourism experiences are a visitor drawcard, as well as policy recommendations for government.
The WTTC members set to speak include Greg O'Hara, Certares Founder and Senior Managing Director and WTTC Chair, TripAdvisor CEO Matt Goldberg, American Express Travel President Audrey Hendley, Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun, Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillippa Harrison, and Intrepid Travel CEO James Thornton, amongst others.
Outside of WTTC membership, speakers at the Summit include 68th US Secretary of State John Kerry, Fortescue executive chair Andrew Forrest, WA Premier Roger Cook, and tourism ministers from The Bahamas, Fiji, Peru, Phillippines, and USA.
Adding a celebrity element, renowned wildlife conservationist and TV presenter Robert Irwin will also deliver a keynote.
WTTC Global Summit has previously been hosted in Spain, China, Japan, the United States, Argentina, and Thailand.