The Global Tourism Forum will host one of the most prestigious global gatherings, the Global Tourism Forum Annual Meeting 2026, on November 9 – 10, in Brussels, Belgium. 

Annual Meeting 2026 Brussels: A Session-by-Session Briefing

The Global Tourism Forum’s Annual Meeting unfolds across two days built around a single, connected proposition: that tourism’s next phase of growth depends on the industry’s ability to attract capital and to earn trust — often through the same set of decisions. Day one is organised around investment; day two around security. Below is a session-by-session guide to what delegates can expect.

DAY ONE — GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND INVESTMENT 9 November 2026

Opening Ceremony — Tourism in a New Global Era The meeting opens by setting the scene rather than the agenda. Against a backdrop of shifting geopolitics, changing investment flows, fast-moving technology, climate pressures and evolving traveller expectations, the ceremony will frame how governments and industry leaders might prepare tourism for a more complicated global environment. Expect discussion of tourism’s economic weight, the case for international cooperation, and what destination competitiveness now requires.

High-Level Leaders’ Dialogue — From Capital to Confidence The forum’s opening thesis, stated plainly: investment ultimately follows confidence. This dialogue will unpack the conditions — political and institutional stability, investment frameworks, infrastructure, security, connectivity, public-private cooperation — that shape whether investors commit capital to a destination over the long term. It is designed as the bridge between the meeting’s two pillars, asking what governments and institutions need to build so that investors can commit and travellers can move freely.

Session 1 — Global Tourism Investment Outlook: Where Global Capital Is Moving Next A mapping exercise. This session traces the shifting geography of tourism capital — which markets and asset classes are drawing investor attention, and how changing consumer demand, infrastructure needs, sustainability expectations and emerging destinations are reshaping where money goes next.

Session 2 — From Masterplans to Bankable Projects: Turning Tourism Vision into Investment-Ready Pipelines Many destinations already have ambitious strategies on paper. The harder task is converting those into projects financiers will actually fund. This session focuses on the mechanics of that conversion — project preparation, feasibility work, investment structuring, enabling infrastructure and governance — and on what separates genuine investment readiness from investment promotion.

Session 3 — Hospitality Investment and Destination Development Hotels are the most visible face of tourism investment, but their success depends on the wider destination around them. This session looks at how hotel investment interacts with destination positioning, infrastructure and demand, and how new hospitality development can be designed to strengthen local economies rather than sit apart from them.

Session 4 — Blended Finance and Development Capital Large tourism infrastructure often needs more than one type of capital. This session examines how governments, development finance institutions, investors and the private sector can combine blended finance, development capital, public-private partnerships and shared-risk structures to fund projects — with particular focus on destinations that have strong development potential but limited access to conventional commercial financing alone.

Session 5 — Connectivity as Investment Infrastructure Tourism growth is bounded by connectivity. This session treats airports, airlines, railways, roads, ports and digital systems not as background infrastructure but as investment assets in their own right — the physical and digital links that determine how easily both visitors and capital can reach a destination.

Session 6 — Green and Climate-Resilient Tourism Investment Climate considerations are moving from the margins of tourism investment to its centre. This session explores how sustainability and climate resilience can be designed into infrastructure and hospitality projects from the outset, covering green finance, resource efficiency, adaptation and the growing weight investors now place on ESG factors.

Session 7 — Ministerial Dialogue Tourism ministers and senior government figures compare notes on turning tourism growth into lasting national development — covering investment attraction, destination competitiveness, infrastructure and international cooperation, and how tourism fits into wider economic strategy.

World Tourism Awards and Gala Dinner Day one closes with the World Tourism Awards, recognising leadership and innovation across global tourism, followed by a gala dinner that doubles as an international networking platform for the leaders, institutions and industry figures in attendance.

DAY TWO — SECURITY, RESILIENCE AND TRUST 10 November 2026

Opening of Day 2 — Security as the New Foundation of Tourism Competitiveness Day two opens with a reframing: security is no longer purely a protective function but a driver of destination competitiveness in its own right. Traveller confidence, investment decisions and destination reputation, the opening argues, all now depend on how well destinations manage physical, digital, health, climate and geopolitical challenges.

Session 8 — Tourism Security as Destination Competitiveness This session builds directly on the opening argument, examining how governments and tourism stakeholders can build security into destination planning without compromising accessibility or the visitor experience — and how well-designed security systems can, in turn, strengthen reputation and investor confidence.

Session 9 — Secure and Seamless Borders The ambition here is borders that are both secure and efficient. This session looks at how governments, border agencies, airports, airlines and technology providers are working toward that combination through digital travel credentials, biometrics, traveller identification and greater information-sharing between agencies.

Session 10 — Cybersecurity in Tourism and Hospitality Tourism now runs on data. Hotels, airlines, airports, booking platforms and payment systems all handle significant volumes of operational and traveller information, making cyber resilience a business and reputational priority. This session examines the shared responsibility of governments, technology providers and tourism businesses in protecting digital infrastructure and maintaining traveller trust.

Session 11 — Event Security, MICE and High-Level Delegations Major conferences, exhibitions and international gatherings bring significant economic value — and significant security planning requirements. This session covers coordination between venues, organisers, governments, law enforcement and emergency services, and how destinations can maintain high security standards while keeping the visitor experience welcoming and efficient.

Session 12 — High-Level Dialogue: Security, Mobility and Destination Trust The convergence point of day two. This dialogue brings together tourism security, mobility and public confidence, centred on the question of trust — how destinations can stay open and connected while governments maintain strong, modern security and crisis-response capabilities.

Session 13 — Crisis Management and Destination Reputation Reputational damage from a crisis can outlast the crisis itself. This session examines how destinations prepare for, respond to and recover from disruption — from security incidents to natural disasters and geopolitical shocks — with particular attention to crisis communication, institutional coordination, business continuity and rebuilding traveller and investor confidence.

Session 14 — Aviation and Transport Security Aviation and transport systems sit at the intersection of mobility and security. This session looks at how aviation authorities, airports, airlines and transport operators are adapting to new security demands while keeping international travel efficient, covering technology, infrastructure resilience and public-private cooperation.

Session 15 — Climate Security, Health Security and Tourism Resilience The closing session widens the lens beyond conventional security to extreme weather, climate disruption and public-health emergencies — the interconnected challenges that can rapidly affect destinations, transport networks and international travel — and how resilience against them can be built into tourism planning from the ground up.

Closing note

Taken together, the fifteen sessions and three high-level dialogues form a single narrative arc: from mobilising capital on day one, to building the security and trust that sustain it on day two. The meeting is expected to close with the Brussels Agenda for Tourism Investment and Security, translating the two days’ discussions into forward-looking priorities for the industry.