Former US President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s annual conference in April.
Other guest speakers at the summit in Abu Dhabi will include British journalist Sir David Frost, American actress and activist Daryl Hannah, environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt and adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild.
David Scowsill, president and chief executive of the WTTC, said: “The 2013 WTTC Global Summit will explore the implications of our dramatically changing world economy and growing population on the travel and tourism industry.
“Four months after the world celebrated its one billionth international traveller, it will examine what we need to do collectively to prepare for the next billion.”
The summit will be co-hosted by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Etihad Airways, and the airline’s president and chief executive James Hogan said the event would be an opportunity to showcase the emirate.
“The WTTC Summit provides an extraordinary opportunity to showcase the remarkable emergence of Abu Dhabi as a global economic centre and a tourism and aviation hub,” he said.
“In facing today’s global challenges, the emirate is a living example of what is possible when vision is backed by investment, commitment and decisive action.”
Travel Weekly is the UK trade media partner of the WTTC.