In the course of the WTTC Global Summit in Malta on October 12, 2026, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its partners launched an innovative guide to support the protection of children in the travel, leisure and entertainment sectors. The Unlock Futures Protecting Children Action Paper aims to help businesses prevent child exploitation and make safeguarding an essential part of their operations.
Turning Commitments Into Action
This follows the commitment of more than 100 business leaders of the travel, leisure and entertainment sectors, expressed during the last year’s WTTC Global Summit in Rome, to make the protection of children a non negotiable priority. The new guide builds on the experiences of businesses across the industry to help them identify risks and strengthen their own policies and procedures. The Action Paper was convened by The Bicester Collection and its philanthropic program DO GOOD, in partnership with WTTC, ECPAT International and the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children.
The Action Paper presents and discusses examples from the hotel, airline, gaming, venues and tour operator sectors, underlining the importance of bringing child protection into day to day operations, recognising it as a fundamental pillar of sustainable tourism development and working together to establish stronger safeguards in the industry.
CARE, ACT and SCALE Guide Business Practices
The Action Paper sets out three guiding principles CARE, ACT and SCALE supporting businesses to take practical steps towards the protection of children in their operations and beyond. CARE focuses on having someone in senior management who has responsibility for child protection; ACT focuses on taking action, including identifying risks and putting policies, training and reporting procedures in place; and SCALE focuses on working across the sector with peers, child protection experts, contractors and others to expand and intensify protection beyond one’s own operations. This way, companies are invited to not only build on their own good practices, but also to learn from others’ experiences in the industry and apply effective measures accordingly.
Governments and Businesses Urged to Work Together
The WTTC Alliance acknowledges that businesses play a key role in the initial identification of risks, training staff and establishing reporting procedures. However, it stresses that industry led initiatives to tackle child exploitation are complementary, but cannot replace legislative measures and must be supported by effective enforcement and cross border co-operation. The alliance addresses governments as well as businesses, calling for stronger, united action to establish safer environments for children across their networks and geographies.
WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara commented on the progress made and the need for further action, saying: “Our industry has taken important steps by training staff, making reporting easier and building partnerships, but businesses cannot act alone. We urgently need stronger laws and more effective enforcement and prosecution of those responsible for child exploitation.” Various other business leaders involved in the initiative stress that safeguarding children is a priority for their companies and that child protection needs to be mainstreamed into responsible business practices.
Industry Leaders Call for Lasting Change
Desirée Bollier, Chair and Global Chief Merchant of The Bicester Collection, noted that business leaders have a responsibility to protect children, as their decisions can impact on destinations and communities. Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, highlighted the potential of the travel, leisure and entertainment sectors to integrate safeguarding into their value chains. ECPAT International Executive Director Guillaume Landry and Chantal Khoueiry, Chief Culture Officer of The Bicester Collection, emphasised the importance of turning commitments into action.
The alliance invites businesses to use the Action Paper as a tool to not only strengthen their own due diligence practices, but also to engage with public authorities and civil society and contribute to a shared understanding on how to establish protection for children in travel, leisure and entertainment. The alliance is supporting the call for turning the protection of children into a non-negotiable priority in the travel, tourism and entertainment sectors. It hopes to encourage businesses to join forces and promote child protection as a core value across the industry.
