Overview

• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opened the WTTC’s 25th annual summit in Rome, drawing more than 310 CEOs, delegates from nearly 70 governments and over 1,400 registered attendees, with Senate president Ignazio La Russa slated to close the event.
• A new WTTC report highlights Europe’s outsized role in global tourism, projects a $2.1 trillion sector contribution to the world economy in 2025 and forecasts employment of about 371 million jobs this year with one in eight jobs worldwide tied to tourism by 2035.
• Speakers pressed strategies to ease crowding by steering visitors to secondary destinations, citing Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos model and stressing the need for connectivity and coordinated public–private action.
• Gloria Guevara Manzo returned as interim WTTC chief and interim council president, while Manfredi Lefebvre took over the council presidency from Greg O’ Hara.
• Italy’s outlook presented at the summit points to a sector contribution of roughly €237.4 billion in 2025, employment rising to about 3.2 million and international visitor spending potentially exceeding €60 billion, with officials noting over-demand is concentrated in Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice.