LONDON, 30 January 2020:The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has shifted its annual global summit to Cancun, Mexico, following the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Puerto Rico 7 January.
WTTC released an update on its flagship event, Wednesday, confirming the decision to move it to Mexico while promising to host a major event in San Juan, Puerto Rico later this year.
“WTTC’s mission is to promote sustainable growth for the travel and tourism sector globally, so it has decided to change the location of the Global Summit given what is best for Puerto Rico at this time,” said WTTC resident & CEO Gloria Guevara.
Financial resources that had been set aside for the summit will instead be focused on impactful, consumer-facing campaigns and marketing efforts that strongly promote Puerto Rico’s “open for tourism” message and drive immediate visitor numbers to the island, the WTTC statement read.
Tremors and aftershocks are still shaking Puerto Rico, weeks after the magnitude 6.4 earthquake toppled buildings killing at least one person and injuring another eight. There have been several strong aftershocks, including one of a 5.9 magnitude that hit the island 11 January and another that struck last Saturday.
“WTTC remains firmly committed to supporting Puerto Rico’s amazing comeback story as seen in their record-breaking year in tourism last year, the WTTC president explained. “Although the Island was ready to welcome us with open arms this April, despite the recent seismic activity in the southern region, reallocating resources to continue this great momentum is the right thing to do in order to boost tourism further.”
The WTTC Summit will be held in Cancun, Mexico, from 21 to 23 April 2020, with the dates for the upcoming official WTTC event in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to be announced in the near future.
