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The European Travel Commission (ETC), representing 35 National Tourism Organisations in Europe, announced that Miguel Sanz from Spain’s National Tourism Organisation has been elected as ETC’s President for a three-year term. Miguel 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.
Miguel Sanz has over fifteen years of experience in the tourism industry, and has served as the Director General at Instituto de Turismo de España (Turespaña), Spain’s National Tourism Organisation, since 2020. Mr. Sanz leads a team of over 300 tourism professionals across 33 offices in 25 countries. As the Director General, he has overseen the recovery of tourism expenditure in Spain to pre-pandemic levels. Previously, he served as the General Manager of Tourism, Madrid Destino from 2016 to 2020, where he was responsible for developing and implementing Madrid’s tourism strategy and marketing.
Miguel 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, Mr. Sanz 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.
“It is an honour to be able to lead the European Travel Commission on behalf of Turespaña. Today, European tourism faces a great opportunity to emerge as a front-runner in sustainability and inclusivity. 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,” stated Miguel Sanz.
Miguel Sanz’s work will be supported by ETC’s Vice-Presidents. 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), will be coordinating ETC’s advocacy activities to create benefits for tourism in Europe.
Miguel Sanz takes the presidency over from Luís Araújo, President of the Portuguese National Tourism Authority (Turismo de Portugal), who held the position for three years and led ETC through the Covid-19 crisis and recovery. Mr. Araújo made significant contributions to the organisation during his tenure, bringing on board new members such as France, Austria, and Ukraine. Mr Araújo 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.
