A Bold Vision for Tomorrow: Virtual Economy & Sustainable Tourism Forum Lights a New Path for the world

The first edition of the Virtual Economy & Sustainable Tourism Forum concluded this week in Monaco, marking a groundbreaking moment at the intersection of digital innovation and global travel. With a forward-looking spirit, the event explored how virtual economies, immersive technologies, and sustainability are converging to shape a brighter, more connected future for tourism and society at large.

Hosted in the heart of the Principality and spearheaded by DWorld, the forum gathered an extraordinary coalition of international leaders, public officials, and trailblazing technologists.

Together, they examined how cutting-edge tools like Web3, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse can not only revolutionize tourism but foster deeper cross-border collaboration and opportunity.

A standout hallmark of the event was its strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. The speaker lineup reflected true gender balance, with equal representation of women and men – setting a powerful precedent for the kind of inclusive, human-centered future the forum aims to catalyze.

Among the standout voices was Manila Di Giovanni, CEO of DWorld, whose inspiring vision of “virtual nations” — designed to expand access, opportunity, and personal freedom globally — sparked meaningful dialogue across sectors. Maria Betti, Executive Secretary of the Pelagos Agreement, highlighted the vital connection between environmental responsibility and sustainable travel practices, reminding attendees that technological advancement must go hand in hand with ecological stewardship.

Maria Elena Rossi emphasized how virtual tourism can enhance visitor experiences, support local economies, and drive sustainability by integrating immersive technologies, data-driven strategies, and inclusive digital innovation into the tourism ecosystem.

Other influential voices included Marcus Calvani, Co-CEO of the Jersey Hospitality Association, who shared transformative ideas on hospitality innovation for island economies; and Davit Sahakyan, former Deputy Minister of High Tech Industry of Armenia, whose keynote “The New Silk Road Is Digital” reimagined the role of emerging nations in shaping the future of global trade.

Karim Sahyoun offered compelling insights on how decentralized systems and AI integration can help usher in a more equitable, human-centered era of economic growth.

Institutional leaders such as Luca Lombardi (Liguria Region), Marilisa Villanacci (InLiguria), Wayne Grixti (Malta), Nena Dokuzov (Slovenia), and Dino Fortunato (UNIDO ITPO Italy) contributed visionary perspectives on how digital infrastructure and international cooperation can protect cultural heritage, promote innovation, and even empower developing nations to become Smart Nations of the future.

“The conference was a great expression of the fact, that Advanced digital technologies such as Metaverse, AI, Blockchain and others can substantially change the way we communicate, work and get in relations with the world around us. Keeping the humans in the centre adds value to both, the deployment of the technologies and quality of life. Convergency of the technologies leads to sustainable development. This is especially important in the sectors which require a lot of human interaction, and tourism is excellent case for it.” — [Nena Dokuzov, Head of Project Group for New Economy and Blockchain Technologies at Ministry of Economic Development and Technology Slovenia]

Throughout the event, countries shared transformative strategies — from near-term pilots to long-term national visions. A highlight was Malta’s “Vision 2050”, a pioneering roadmap for integrating digital identity, virtual assets, and responsible innovation to serve both citizens and global visitors in a fully connected ecosystem.

“It’s not just a technological challenge, but a real opportunity to enhance our territories, improve the visitor experience, and integrate public and private sectors within a shared vision. Thanks also to Manila Di Giovanni, a young Genoese and founder of DWorld, for reminding us how virtual economies can open up new frontiers in the storytelling of destinations” — [Luca Lombardi, Regional Minister for Tourism of the Ligurian Region]

The DWorld team recorded every keynote and panel discussion, and a detailed report will be shared with participating governments and institutions. This is just the beginning: the vision is to co-create with world leaders a shared roadmap for inclusive, sustainable, and digitally empowered tourism that leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come. It wasn’t just a Forum. Through the exchange of ideas and visions, it sparked the rise of a global movement, igniting the desire for concrete change to happen.