The Global Tourism Forum Annual Meeting 2026 opened in Brussels on Monday, 9 November, bringing together ministers, ambassadors, investors and industry leaders from around the world. Under the title “Tourism in a New Global Era”, the opening ceremony set the tone for two days of debate on investment, security and trust, at a time when conflict, economic uncertainty and climate change are reshaping how people travel.
Dr István Ujhelyi, President of Capital European Affairs and Global Vice President of Hiseas International, compared tourism to “the air we breathe”: something we take for granted until it disappears, as the COVID-19 years showed. He listed the challenges the industry has yet to solve, from staff shortages and visa barriers to the lack of a global system to support small businesses and stranded travellers in times of crisis. “We have a voice. It still carries too little weight,” he said, calling for a global tourism pact and describing tourism as “the industry of peace”.
Patrick Bontinck, CEO of visit.brussels, welcomed delegates to “a small city with a very big address book”, home to the European institutions, NATO and one of the world’s largest diplomatic communities. While acknowledging the pressure of overtourism, the climate impact of travel and housing shortages, he argued that tourism is “not only the problem” and can be part of the solution. “Behind many solutions for our planet, there is a meeting, and behind every meeting, there is tourism,” he said.
Comparing tourism to a medicine whose dose matters, he called on destinations to manage the balance between visitors and residents, cooperate with other cities and measure value beyond visitor numbers. Tourism, he added, brings people from different cultures together to share meals and ask questions. With walls going up amid geopolitical tensions, “it has never been more important for people to meet, to know each other, and to understand each other”.
Bulut Bağcı, President of the World Tourism Forum Institute, the organisation behind the forum, explained why investment, security and trust belong in the same conversation. “Investment needs confidence, travel needs confidence, and confidence grows when people feel safe and know what to expect,” he said. Insisting that “tourism is not a sector; it’s infrastructure”, he highlighted connectivity, security in its widest sense – from passenger safety to data protection – and artificial intelligence, while stressing the need to keep investing in people. He encouraged participants to ask direct questions and “take the conversation forward” once they leave Brussels.
The opening ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting alongside the event’s partners and a performance by the Brussels City Ballet. It was the start of a two-day programme of panels, keynotes and ministerial and diplomatic discussions at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Monday’s sessions focus on where tourism investment is flowing and what it takes to turn plans into projects that can attract funding. Delegates will also discuss hotel development, transport links and how to build climate resilience into new projects, before the World Tourism Awards and gala dinner.
On Tuesday, 10 November, the focus shifts to security and traveller confidence. Sessions will examine how to keep borders secure while making them easier to cross, protect traveller data and safeguard passengers across aviation and maritime transport. A final panel will look at how destinations can prepare for climate disruption and public health emergencies, before the forum closes with the Brussels Agenda for Tourism Investment and Security.
