Expedia founder Barry Diller will give predictions for the future of travel and tourism as part of the World Travel & Tourism Council annual summit in Dallas next month.
Issues on the agenda at the conference on April 6-7 include travel security, collaborative economy, the impact of oil prices and exchange rates and the balance between technology and human interaction.
The summit will address the theme Travel Beyond Boundaries with US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker addressing the importance of public and private partnerships among keynote speakers.
Besides Diller, Jeremy Rifkin, advisor to the European Union and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, will discuss how technology is changing business as he discusses global mega trends.
Other speakers include Us economist and dsirector of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Jeffrey Sachs, addressing disease and migration and the role of the travel sector in tackling both global issues.
Security specialist, PW Singer, will talk about cyber and data security, and whether the current demand for enhanced security warrants giving up some personal freedoms.
WTTC president and chief executive, David Scowsill, said: “The influence of the recent geopolitical shifts, global sustainability accords, and technological developments, together with ever-demanding consumers, is transforming the way businesses work, transact and report.
“These are interesting times for this sector: challenges around safety triggered by terrorist attacks and migration have sparked many debates on border security; new technologies have continued to drive visa facilitation and retailing opportunities; exchange rate movements have put major pressures on key markets; oil price fluctuations have brought some benefits for consumers and some hardships for economies.”