Economist Impact Roundtable Invitation

Date Tuesday, November 29, 2022 Location Brussels, Belgium Time 8.30am to 1pm Title People, planet and progress: transforming the future of travel and people flows Theme People are on the move and travel, both within and across countries, is happening at an unprecedented scale. Before covid-19, the number of international travellers peaked at nearly 1.5 billion arrivals, and while the past two years have disrupted the travel and tourism sector, numbers are tipped to recover and soar again, reaching nearly 50% of the pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Patterns of movement and changing demographics within and beyond national borders impact the places people leave as well as those that receive them. The flow of people can make important and lasting contributions, from culturally enriching societies to enhancing labour and productivity and creating opportunities for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Movement also brings new perspectives as people engage and share connections, speeding the flow of information. This can transform communities and destinations, allowing them to grow and flourish socially, economically and environmentally. While these benefits can be observed in regions with a high influx of people, many destinations see unbalanced gains due to unplanned shifts in the number of people a geography needs to accommodate. Movement of people at scale typically increases demand for goods and services, testing the built environment, supply chains and social attitudes and affecting access to critical services like housing and health care. Join Economist Impact as we look to understand how destinations can balance the benefits and costs of people flows and ensure that they evenly distribute gains while mitigating potential harms. With stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector in attendance, these high-energy, interactive peer-to-peer roundtable discussions, moderated by Economist Impact and supported by Booking.com, will convene senior executives in Madrid, Singapore, Brussels, Pretoria, Brasília and Washington. This event series is allied to a broader research project being undertaken by Economist Impact, supported by Booking.com, to quantify the impact of people flows on 50 geographies. This project will result in a research report and different "what if '' scenarios to showcase how future intervention and innovations could drive the positive impact of travel and people flows. These roundtables are designed to inform the research programme and ignite deeper discussions among policymakers, travel sector leaders and key decision-makers to develop policy recommendations that can positively influence the impact of the movement of people on economy, society and ecology. Questions we will be exploring include: ● To what extent does travel impact destinations' social, economic and environmental outcomes? ● Which economic, social and environmental outcomes are most impacted by travel and the movement of people, and how?* ● What tools are destinations using to manage these impacts? ● Which key stakeholders are responsible for managing these impacts? ● What successful strategies have been applied to manage the impacts of people flows? Which have not worked? ● How do you expect the pattern of travel and the movement of people to change in the next five years? What will be the greatest challenges? * Economist Impact will identify the potential outcomes through literature reviews and expert interviews to facilitate the discussion. Agenda 8.30am Registration and networking breakfast 9.00am Opening remarks 9.15am Economist Impact programme overview 9.30am Session one: Understanding and measuring the impact of the movement of people ● How have travel and people flows changed post-Covid? ● What are the current and medium-term economic, social and ecological impact of the movement of people? How can we measure these impacts on outcomes? ● To what extent is increased travel and movement of people impacting and informing attitudes towards diversity, inclusion and understanding? Does an increased influx of people make for a more open and tolerant society at their destination? 10.15am Break 10.30am Session two: Maximising opportunities in travel, tourism and people flows ● What policies, programmes and interventions can maximise the positive economic, social and ecological impact of people flows? ● What new technologies and innovations can enable sustainable travel and tourism? What investment is needed, and from whom? ● How can urban and rural communities balance the costs and reap the benefits of people flows? What steps can be taken to distribute those benefits evenly? ● What steps can stakeholders take to mitigate the negative effects of the movement of people, while seizing the opportunities it presents? 11.15am Break 11.30am Session three: Sharing best practices and looking to the future  ● What successful strategies have been applied to managing the impacts of people flows? Which have worked and not worked—and why? ● Which cities and regions have successfully surmounted and addressed the challenges people flows present, and maximised the benefits? ● How is the pattern of travel and the movement of people expected to change in the next five years? ● In what ways can the movement of people impact and be impacted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals? 12.15pm Closing remarks 12.30pm Networking lunch 1.00pm Event concludes People, planet and progress: transforming the future of travel and people flows November 29th 2022, Brussels Supported by It is our pleasure to invite you to our upcoming interactive peer-to-peer roundtable discussion and networking event ‘People, planet and progress: transforming the future of travel and people flows’ in Brussels, on November 29th, 2022 The event will be held under Chatham House Rule and is part of an event series allied to a broader research project being undertaken by Economist Impact, supported by Booking.com, to quantify the impact of people flows on 50 geographies. This roundtable is designed to inform the research programme and ignite deeper discussions among policymakers, travel sector leaders and key decision-makers to develop policy recommendations that can positively influence the impact of the movement of people on economy, society and ecology. ABOUT THE EVENT People are on the move and travel, both within and across countries, is happening at an unprecedented scale. Before covid-19, the number of international travellers peaked at nearly 1.5 billion arrivals, and while the past two years have disrupted the travel and tourism sector, numbers are tipped to recover and soar again, reaching nearly 50% of the pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The flow of people can make important and lasting contributions, from culturally enriching societies to enhancing labour and productivity and creating opportunities for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. We will be exploring how destinations can balance the benefits and costs of people flows and ensure that they evenly distribute gains while mitigating potential harms. With stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector in attendance, this high-energy roundtable, moderated by Economist Impact, is part of a global series of events taking place in Madrid, Singapore, Brussels, Pretoria, Brasília and Washington. Questions we will be exploring include: • To what extent does travel impact destinations’ social, economic and environmental outcomes? • Which economic, social and environmental outcomes are most impacted by travel and the movement of people, and how? • What tools are destinations using to manage these impacts? • Which key stakeholders are responsible for managing these impacts? • What successful strategies have been applied to manage the impacts of people flows? Which have not worked? • How do you expect the pattern of travel and the movement of people to change in the next five years? What will be the greatest challenges? EVENT DETAILS Date: Tuesday, November 29th 2022 Time: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm CET Involvement: Invitation only (no cost) Venue: Brussels (this is an exclusive, private event, therefore, venue information will be disclosed upon successful registration) Register now