International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh has emphasised the need for the UK government to support the aviation sector in the country. Speaking at the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit in Abu Dhabi, Walsh said IAG was not seeking financial support, but merely for the government to “get out of the way”.

The ageing population, an increasingly connected society and fluctuating economic conditions are just three of the major factors that will set future trends in the global travel and tourism industry, according to industry leaders who spoke on the first day of the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit. Other factors include the growth of the middle class with its increased disposable income; as well as the emergence of a new generation that prioritises travel and cares for its environment.

The World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit – the most influential event on the annual travel and tourism industry’s international calendar – which began its 13th edition in the UAE capital today, has returned to the home of hospitality, according to His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.

The World Travel & Tourism Council has announced it will hold its 13th Global Summit in Abu Dhabi in April/May 2013. Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Etihad Airways will be official hosts of the biggest annual gathering of travel and tourism leaders.

Hollywood legend Robert Redford and Roberto Hernández Ramirez, chairman of the board, Banco Nacional de Mexico, are the latest in a long line of distinguished speakers who will be at the inaugural WTTC Americas Summit in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, next week. From the May 16th-18th 2012, key industry figures from the public and private sectors, NGOs and the media will convene for a unique networking forum.

The Americas Summit of the World Travel & Tourism Council is set to unite, for the first time, tourism leaders from across the western Hemisphere in Mexico’s Riviera Maya next month. From May 16th-18th 2012, key industry identities from the public and private sectors, NGOs and the media will convene for a unique networking forum.