The Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit 2026 is taking place in Brussels, bringing together political leaders, policymakers and industry experts to debate the biggest issues shaping the future of travel.
Follow this page for live updates and highlights from the Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit 2026 in Brussels
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Ambassador Bill White
Bill White, the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium, sat down with summit host Jane Witherspoon to speak about the special relationship between the two nations.
While the Ambassador praised Belgium for having so much more to offer than “waffles, chocolate and beer”, he did criticise the lines at the airport in Brussels, saying they “suck”.
“They’re really bad. One of the things we have to do in our transatlantic alliance and relationship is to recognise that if we want people to come to Belgium, we have to fix this problem. It must get better immediately,” he added.
Nevertheless, White announced that he has received approval from President Donald Trump to allow Belgian citizens to apply for the US Global Entry programme, which is designed to speed up entry at US airports. Global Entry is a DHS programme for pre-approved international travellers.
In practical terms, he explained, that means: “you’ll register, you pay your fee, get vetted, and then you fly to the United States, and you look at the kiosk at JFK or wherever it is, you smile, don’t smile, you get ‘whoop!’ right through, and then you go get your bags and spend money”.
He urged Belgian citizens to “write to your congressman or your parliament person, let’s go, get the paperwork done, because when you travel, it’ll be seamless. One, two, three.”
Europe’s travel industry is in the spotlight today as the Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit 2026 gets underway at the Albert Hall in Brussels.
Throughout the day, Euronews will be live from the Belgian capital with interviews, panels and debates exploring how tourism is responding to a year marked by geopolitical disruption, airspace closures and extreme weather.
Among the headline guests is Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who will sit down with Euronews’ Maria Tadeo. Eduardo Santander, CEO of the European Travel Commission, will reflect on the trends and challenges that shaped Europe’s record-breaking summer travel season, while other discussions will examine sustainability, connectivity and the future of tourism in Europe.
Two of Euronews’ flagship programmes are joining the summit. The Big Question will examine whether Europe’s cruise industry can chart a greener course with MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato, while The Ring, hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, will bring its head-to-head political debate format to Brussels.
Doors open from 9am, with live coverage available throughout the day on Euronews.
