10 local and international experts at Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts will mark the occasion of ‘World Tourism Day 2015’ with the first-ever ‘Future of Tourism and Responsible Tourism for Driving Revenue’ Summit. Scheduled to be held on 28 September at the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, the event will feature prominent speakers representing the various global trends of travel and tourism with a special focus on driving Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry in a strategic economic direction.

The summit will discuss relevant and contemporary topics highlighting the importance of accountability in revenue generation, as an essential component of the future of international travel and tourism. During the symposium, a distinguished panel of global industry professionals and experts on sustainability and responsible travel will speak on the current and future trends in tourism and the importance of responsibility, resource efficiency and risk management, enhancing brand equity through responsible tourism, community engagement and workforce motivation, working with sustainable travel companies, growth in experiential tourism, relationship between wellness tourism and responsible tourism, and the accessibility of potential target markets.

Panellist Prof. Mohan Munasinghe will be delivering the keynote for the summit. He is a Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Vice Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His knowledge on Climate Change and his experience gained as the Founder Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute of Development (MIND) and Senior Advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka will benefit the audience greatly in relation to such topics as sustainable industry development and responsible tourism. He also serves as a Guest and Visiting Professor at Darmstadt University in Germany, the Vale Sustainable Development Institute, the Federal University of Para, Brazil and Peking University of China.

Adviser to the World Economic Forum on Shared Economy and Shareable Cities and academic on the future of travel and tourism, April Rinne has gained vast insight into microfinance, law, policy, water, and social enterprise. Her love for catalysing early conversations, forging partnerships, and assisting individuals, companies, organisations and communities alike has helped perceive world economy in radically new ways. The conference will also feature Dr. Ian Yeoman. The world’s only professional futurologist specialising in travel and tourism, he uses advanced techniques such as economic modelling, trends analysis and scenario construction to analyse the future of the industry. He is also the author of the international seller ‘2050 -Tomorrow’s Tourist’.

‘Future of Tourism’ speaker, Prof. Sarath Kotagama is a conservationist and head of the Department of Zoology at the University of Colombo. His extraordinary service to Sri Lanka as an ornithologist and environmentalist has been recognised by the ‘Distinguished Service Award for Environment Education and Journalism’ (2003) by the International Society for Conservation Biology. His focus on the necessity of conservation in growing industries like nature tourism will be highlighted at the convention. 

At the symposium, Wilhelm K. Weber will speak on Yield and Revenue Management, Hotel Technology and Hospitality Management. He is a partner of the Swiss Hospitality Solutions AG and a lecturer at University of Salzburg. 

Euromonitor International Senior Research Analyst Shabori Das will also be a part of the panel of speakers at the Future of Tourism convention. She is an industry expert for travel and tourism and thrives in identifying cross industry trends and has written several articles on the travel industry. Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady, Director of the world’s largest tourism convention ‘ITB Berlin’ and President of the German Society of Tourism Research (DGT), is an authority on Tourism and Travel Management. Based on his extensive research and teachings, his talk will focus is on air travel, e-business and tourism.

The summit will also present Robert Govers. He is a lecturer of the UNESCO World Heritage Work Master Program, independent advisor for national, regional and city government administrations and a visiting scholar at various institutions in Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Dubai. His contribution at the event will focus on Place Branding and Public Diplomacy.René Massatti-Trendone offers insights into the marketing world of tomorrow and strives to convey to audiences the concrete benefits of innovation for their daily business. A clearly-structured speaker and passionate discussion partner, he specialises in trends that are relevant to the marketing industry. Massatti-Trendone has over 10 years of professional experience in the international agency business and has received numerous awards and accolades. 

The tourism industry today is experiencing rapid growth, both globally and in Sri Lanka, making dynamic waves of change and development across the commercial and technological landscapes of every region. That is why Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, a diversified lifestyle brand, seeks to share knowledge through this esteemed group of panellists -their views, ideas and insights-, thereby creating awareness and an understanding of social responsibility within a dominant industry, said to shape the world in 2025.

The Future of Tourism Summit is powered by SriLankan Airlines, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and supported by Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB), the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Landor Associates, and 230 Interactive Digital Media.

Limited tickets available for the Cinnamon Future of Tourism Summit, priced at Rs. 18,000 are available online. For further details, visit www.futureoftourism.co or contact them on +94 712 070 972 or [email protected].