Travel and tourism professionals and government leaders gather in Sendai

The joint World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Sendai Recovery and Asia Outlook Forum opens today with almost 500 industry professionals and government leaders from around the world gathered at the Westin, Sendai. ETN is a media partner for the event, and eTN Publisher Juergen Thomas Steinmetz and Editor-in-Chief Nelson Alcantara are in attendance.

As part of the WTTC Global Summit taking place in Tokyo and Sendai, April 16-17, the overall theme of this year’s Global Summit is, “Leading a Dynamic Industry Through Turbulent Times.” This pre-eminent event offers an unparalleled platform for speakers from within and beyond the travel industry to share their views with an international audience of prominent business, financial, political, and media leaders.

Topics to be discussed in Sendai include: the recovery of Japan and other countries, and key trends and issues from inside travel and tourism.

Some speakers will include:

– Miwako Date, Executive Managing Director, Mori Trust
– Dirk Glaesser, Coordinator, Risk & Crisis Management, UNWTO
– Anita Mediratta, Author, Owner & Managing Director, CACHET Consulting
– Atsutoshi Nishida, Chairman of the Board, Toshiba Corporation
– Emiko Okuyama, Mayor of Sendai City
– Mutsutake Otsuka, Vice Chairman, Japan Host Committee; Vice Chairman/Chairman of Committee on Tourism, Keidanren
– Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board
– Chen Rong, CEO, China International Travel Service
– Jeffrey Rutledge, Chairman & CEO, Travel Guard Worldwide
– Satoshi Seino, Chairman & Director, East Japan Railway
– Hiromi Tagawa, President & CEO, JTB Corp.
– Bert van Walbeek, Chairman, PATA Rapid Recovery Taskforce

David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “Just a year after the Japan earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, the WTTC Global Summit will take place in Tokyo following a series of sessions in Sendai about Japan’s recovery. It means a great deal to us all that we are holding part of the WTTC Global Summit in Sendai, the city most associated with the earthquake and tsunami.

Martin J. Craigs, PATA CEO, said: “PATA has provided full support to Japan since parts of the Tohoku region were devastated by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. PATA has implemented various activities run by the PATA Foundation. The PATA Rapid Recovery Taskforce has also been set up. In Sendai, we are here to see how Japan has responded. We are here to learn from each other and share our knowledge and experience in preparation for future crises.”

The event will conclude in Sendai and proceed to Tokyo for the opening reception, welcome dinner, and the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony at Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.

At the International Convention Centre Pamir, Tokyo, the session of the 12th WTTC Global Summit will convene to examine the role of travel and tourism as a driver of economic and social advancement at a time of global turbulence, impact on Japan’s travel and tourism economy and road to recovery, global megatrends of our rapidly-changing world and the role of airlines in the wider industry, and ensuring we take steps today to guarantee we have tourism for tomorrow.