.webp?language=en)
Date: 9 October 2026
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today officially launched the WTTC Youth Movement Initiative during its 26th Global Summit in Malta, marking a major long-term commitment to connect with young people, better understand their expectations and aspirations, showcase the broad diversity of careers available across the Travel & Tourism sector, and help create the jobs and opportunities that will attract the next generation to Travel & Tourism careers.
As part of the initiative, 100 students from 40 nationalities and 16 partner institutions, alongside 10 professors, joined the Summit to engage directly with leading executives, policymakers and industry experts from across the global Travel & Tourism sector.
The participating institutions span Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, reflecting both the global nature of Travel & Tourism and the diversity of the workforce required to support its continued growth.
The WTTC Youth Movement has two primary objectives. First, to deepen the sector’s understanding of young people, their priorities, expectations and aspirations, and identify the most effective ways to engage them. Second, use those insights to help create the right jobs, opportunities and career pathways that will encourage more young people to build their futures within Travel & Tourism.
The initiative forms part of a wider ambition to engage 100,000 students from over 100 nationalities, creating an ongoing global community connecting young people with some of the sector’s most influential leaders and organisations.
Developed in collaboration with participating students, the WTTC Youth Movement is designed to create a lasting connection between young people and industry leaders, ensuring that workforce strategies are informed by the expectations, aspirations and experiences of the generation entering the sector today, while increasing awareness of the diverse careers available across the Travel & Tourism ecosystem.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “The future growth of Travel & Tourism depends on our ability to understand what young people want from their careers and how they want to engage with our sector. We cannot talk about growth without talking about people, and we need to ensure our industry remains attractive to the next generation of talent.
These students bring fresh perspectives, new ideas and invaluable insights. By creating a platform that continues beyond the Summit, we will be able to better understand their needs and help create the jobs, opportunities and career pathways that attract more young people to Travel & Tourism.”
A Global Platform for Future Talent
The participating students represent a remarkable breadth of cultures, experiences and academic backgrounds, with institutions including the University of Malta, ITS College Malta, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts in Switzerland, Metropolitan College in Greece, University of Zagreb in Croatia, IMC Krems in Austria, ESCP Business School and IE School in Spain, and IREST in France.
International participation also includes students from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, the Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad in India, NHI Bandung in Indonesia, Dusit Thani College in Thailand, GUtech in Oman, and institutions in the United States including the University of California and the Culinary Institute of America.
The programme provides direct exposure to the industry through discussions with senior leaders, networking opportunities and sessions exploring the broad range of careers available across Travel & Tourism.
WTTC's latest research shows the sector supported 40.7 million jobs across Europe alone in 2025, equivalent to around one in every ten jobs in the region. Young people aged 15-24 accounted for 13.1% of direct Travel & Tourism employment, compared with 8.3% across the wider European economy.
Through the Youth Movement, WTTC aims to strengthen connections between education and industry while demonstrating the breadth of opportunities available across technology, aviation, hospitality, sustainability, finance, marketing, investment and entrepreneurship.
FUTU[RE]SET explores the future of the next generation
One of the highlights of the WTTC Youth Movement during the Summit is “FUTU[RE]SET — Engaging With The Next Generation”, a dynamic discussion that brought students together with industry leaders, policymakers and educators to explore the future of Travel & Tourism through the lens of Generation Z.
The session featured Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport at the European Commission; Yoosef Al Harty from the German University of Technology, Oman; Jaron Johnston from California State University Monterey Bay, USA; and Maria Celeste Ticona Alcazar from ESCP Business School.
Together, they explored how governments, academia and the private sector can better connect with young people, understand their priorities and expectations, and create opportunities that align with their career ambitions and future workforce needs.
– ENDS –
For more information about WTTC, please visit wttc.org
For media enquiries, please contact Paul Charles / Philip Allport /
Rob Morris at The PC Agency via [email protected]
About the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the global body representing the private sector of Travel & Tourism and the leading authority on the sector’s economic and social contribution worldwide. Its members include Chairmen, Presidents and CEOs of the world’s leading travel and tourism companies across hotels, airlines, airports, cruise lines, tour operators, technology platforms and destinations, spanning every major region globally.
WTTC works to advance sustainable growth across the Travel & Tourism sector by driving collaboration between industry leaders and governments, shaping global policy, and providing authoritative research on the sector’s economic impact worldwide.