The European Travel Commission (ETC), representing 35 National Tourism Organisations in Europe, has announced that Miguel Sanz from Spain’s National Tourism Organisation, Instituto de Turismo de España (Turespaña), has been elected as ETC’s President for a three-year term. Sanz was selected to lead ETC’s efforts towards a sustainable and inclusive future for Europe’s tourism industry by the 105th General Meeting which took place in Tallinn, Estonia.
With over 15 years of experience in the tourism and having served as the Director General of Turespaña, Sanz now leads a team of over 300 tourism professionals across 33 offices in 25 countries. During his time at Turespaña, he oversaw the recovery of tourism expenditure in Spain to pre-pandemic levels. Previously, as General Manager of Tourism at Madrid Destino, he was responsible for developing and implementing Madrid’s tourism strategy and marketing.
Today, European tourism faces a great opportunity to emerge as a front-runner in sustainability and inclusivity.
Miguel Sanz, ETC President
Among his responsibilities, Sanz will work with ETC members on implementing the new ETC Strategy 2030, leading the organisation towards a more innovative, sustainable, green and inclusive tourism sector in Europe post-Covid-19. More specifically, he will support ETC in implementing its recently launched Climate Action Plan, which aims to halve the organisation’s operational emissions by 2030 and assist its members in achieving Net Zero. Additionally, he will focus on strengthening cooperation with the European Commission and key stakeholders to maintain Europe’s position as the leading global destination for tourism.
“We must ensure that tourism has a stronger voice in Europe and the EU and harness its power to benefit European businesses and communities. Bringing together all European destinations, ETC has a central role in deepening the European brand by promoting the continents’ values of freedom and diversity and shaping a more responsible future for the tourism industry”, said Sanz.
Three ETC Vice-Presidents will be supporting Sanz’s work by coordinating ETC’s advocacy activities to create benefits for tourism in Europe: Martin Nydegger from Switzerland Tourism, Magda Antonioli from the Italian Government Tourism Board (ENIT) and newly re-elected Kristjan Staničić from the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB).
Before Sanz, Luís Araújo, President of the Portuguese National Tourism Authority (Turismo de Portugal), held the Presidency for three years and led ETC through the Covid-19 crisis and recovery. Araújo made significant contributions to the organisation during his tenure, bringing on new board members, including France, Austria and Ukraine. He also played a pivotal role in the development of the new ETC Strategy 2030, a comprehensive roadmap that sets forth the organisation’s vision and goals for the next seven years, ensuring a strategic direction for sustainable development.
