TOURISE at Davos 2026: Redefining Tourism as a Global Economic Powerhouse
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For decades, tourism has been pigeonholed as a “lifestyle” or “leisure” industry—a nice-to-have sector that fluctuates with the whims of the global middle class. However, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos 2026, the narrative shifted decisively.
Leading the charge was TOURISE, the global platform under the Saudi Ministry of Tourism. In a series of high-stakes workshops and alliances, TOURISE successfully argued that tourism is not a siloed industry but a strategic economic system—a vital web that connects finance, technology, sustainability, and education.
The Davos Mission: More Than Just a Trip
His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism and Chairman of TOURISE, took to the Davos stage with a clear message: Tourism contributes one in every ten dollars to global GDP. It is an industry that “uplifts every sector it touches.”
To prove this, Al-Khateeb didn’t just meet with hotel CEOs. He convened a “who’s who” of global technology and finance, including executives from TikTok, Visa, Trip.com, PayPal, Salesforce, ByteDance, and Forbes. By bringing these tech giants into the tourism conversation, TOURISE highlighted that the future of travel is inextricably linked to digital infrastructure and global finance.
“Tourism is more than a lifestyle sector; it functions as a strategic economic system,” Al-Khateeb stated. “TOURISE serves as a platform where leaders form alliances to build shared solutions where technology aligns with community development, finance with sustainability, and education with mobility.”
Agentic Tourism: The AI Revolution
One of the most groundbreaking outcomes of the Davos sessions was the advancement of “Agentic Tourism.” In a workshop titled Agentic Tourism: From Insight to Action, TOURISE laid the groundwork for a new Agentic Tourism Protocol.
What is Agentic Tourism? It refers to the next generation of AI systems that aren’t just chatbots but “agents” capable of making autonomous decisions—rebooking a flight during a storm, managing a hotel’s energy grid based on occupancy, or personalizing a city tour in real-time. The new protocol is designed to ensure these AI systems are safe, connected, and interoperable across borders and different service providers.
Leading the Charge: Women in the Workforce
Tourism is unique in that women represent nearly half of its global workforce. Recognizing this, TOURISE sponsored the annual Women Leaders Reception at Davos.
Hawazen Nassief, Advisory Board Member and Saudi Ministry of Tourism Deputy Minister of International Affairs, emphasized that the next decade must focus on moving women from frontline roles into executive leadership. For TOURISE, a “strategic economic system” is only as strong as its leadership diversity, and the platform is committed to ensuring that the faces of tourism management reflect the faces of the people who power it.
The 2026 Horizon
Davos marked the explosive start of TOURISE’s 2026 global calendar. Following its inaugural summit in Riyadh in November 2025, the platform is now maintaining a “constant momentum” approach. Throughout 2026, TOURISE will host cross-sector workshops and announce new partnerships, all leading up to its second major summit in March 2027.
The goal for the remainder of the year is simple: to stop people from seeing tourism as a luxury and start seeing it as a platform for innovation. Whether it’s ByteDance using TikTok to drive destination discovery or PayPal streamlining cross-border payments for rural homestays, the message from TOURISE is clear—tourism is the engine that will move the world forward.
Why This Matters for You
For the everyday traveler, this strategic shift means a more seamless, secure, and personalized experience. For the global economy, it means more stable jobs and better-integrated technologies. As TOURISE continues to bridge the gap between “Insight” and “Action,” the world is beginning to realize that when tourism thrives, so does everything else.
