Sabah Kahoul
Founder
About the Forum
The leading hub for corporate travel, bridging continents and markets.
Our vision is to be the leading hub for corporate travel that bridges continents, connects global markets and drives economic growth through seamless and innovative solutions.
Mission
To make the case for business travel at the highest level.
The World Business Travel Forum convenes the leaders of business, government and the travel industry to advance one idea: that the movement of people is essential to the movement of the economy.
We do this through an Annual Meeting in Dubai every November, smaller regional editions through the year, a monthly white paper and annual research on the value of travel, and standing councils that bring corporate buyers together with the C-suite they report to.
Two threads run through all of it: the corporate buyer at the centre, and sustainability in everything we do.
The Forum's main stage is editorially independent. Partners support the mission; they do not set the agenda.
Why Dubai
A global hub that links every continent.
Dubai connects directly to markets on every continent. It is where global travel managers and the business travel industry converge, and it showcases the dynamic growth of the region.
Founders
The people behind the Forum
The founders of the World Business Travel Forum lead its mission, partnerships and Annual Meeting.
Dominic Short
Founder
Hamdan Mohamed Almurshidi
Founder
Advisory Board
Guided by industry leaders
The Advisory Board advises the Forum on its agenda, research and the needs of buyers and suppliers worldwide.
Carsten Østberg
Chief Executive Officer, Nomadic | Fragomen
Harsh Vardhan Singh Krishnawat
Advisory Board Member
Andreas Schneider
Advisory Board Member
Ashraf Baytam
Advisory Board Member
The Dubai Declaration · Draft principles
Six principles on the value of business travel.
To be presented as part of the WBTF Commitment at the close of WBTF Dubai 2027 on 3 February 2027, and opened for endorsement by companies, suppliers and governments.
Travel creates value
Face-to-face meetings build the trust on which deals, investment and partnerships depend.
Measure return, not just cost
Organisations should assess travel by the value it delivers, alongside what it costs.
Care for the traveller
Safety, wellbeing and a good experience are part of every responsible travel programme.
Remove barriers to mobility
Governments and industry should work together to make borders smarter, faster and more secure.
Travel more sustainably
The industry commits to credible pathways to lower the environmental impact of business travel.
Use technology responsibly
AI and data should make travel simpler and fairer, while protecting privacy and choice.
Sustainability
Not a session. A standard for everything we do.
Business travel creates value, and it has an environmental cost. The Forum's role is to measure both, honestly, and to help the industry lower the cost without losing the value.
In every white paper
Every monthly white paper includes a sustainability chapter. The Value of Travel Report sets the value of travel against its carbon footprint.
Measured and reported
Every edition publishes its footprint. Hosted buyers are routed the lower-carbon way where possible, and venues are chosen on credible standards.
In every session
Sustainability is a question asked in every session, not a topic left to a single panel.
A shared commitment
Strategic Partners sign the WBTF sustainability commitment and report progress at the Annual Meeting.
Data buyers can use
A Buyer Community working group develops shared measures that companies can use in their own sustainability reporting.
Commitments that are checked
Sustainability commitments made under the Dubai Declaration are reviewed publicly one year later.
Secretariat
Contact the Forum
For registration, hosted buyer applications, partnerships, speaking and media accreditation, please contact the Secretariat.