TOURISE Reframes Tourism Sector as Global Powerhouse on a Path to $16 Trillion During Davos

TOURISE advanced tourism’s role as a vital sector connecting industries, economies, and regions to address shared global challenges at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

Tourism as a Strategic Global Powerhouse
- Economic Impact: Tourism contributes 1 in every $10 to global GDP, underscoring its role as a major driver of growth.
- Ambition: TOURISE projects the sector could reach $16 trillion in value, reframing tourism as a strategic economic system rather than just a lifestyle industry.

Leadership & Vision
- His Excellency Ahmed Al‑Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism and Chairman of TOURISE, emphasized:
- Tourism connects industries, economies, and regions.
- Partnerships across technology, finance, sustainability, and education will shape the next decade.
- Global Participation: Executives from Trip.com, Visa, TikTok, PayPal, Salesforce, Forbes, Avolta, ByteDance, and more joined discussions.

Davos 2026 Highlights
Workshops:
- Can Tourism Save the World? → Focused on tourism’s role in resilience and sustainable development.
- Agentic Tourism: From Insight to Action → Advanced the Agentic Tourism Protocol, enabling safe and interoperable AI systems in tourism.

Events:
- Reshaping Tourism: A World of Possibility at Axios House.
- Sponsored the Women Leaders Reception, highlighting the need for more women in leadership (women make up nearly half of the tourism workforce).

What’s Next
- Global Calendar 2026: Cross-sector workshops, industry insight reports, and new partnerships.
- Second TOURISE Summit: Scheduled for March 2027, building on the inaugural Riyadh summit in 2025.
- Long-Term Vision: Shape the next 50 years of tourism through innovation, mobility, culture, and investment.

✨ In short, TOURISE is positioning tourism as a central pillar of global transformation, blending AI, sustainability, and cross-industry collaboration to unlock trillions in value.