Turisme de Barcelona Joins the World Travel & Tourism Council

Turisme de Barcelona has become a partner destination at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the institution that represents the worldwide travel trade and tourism private sector and it works to promote the sector development ensuring the sustainable growth in coordination with governmental entities, destinations and other relevant industry agents.

The WTTC is a very useful platform for Turisme de Barcelona, when working for the post-Covid era to join efforts, to generate impact and to have international visibility at the most high level in the tourism industry. In addition, with this incorporation, the Consortium will offer to its members some advantages such us the participation in security strategic initiatives (focusing on the recovery due to the Covid-19), mobility, management and recovery in crisis situations and all the other actions to ensure a sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

Source: quanjing.com

By the same token, this institution promotes networking between its members through different events. It also gives access to the economic analysis of the outbound markets and ad hoc reports. The WTTC also facilitates the interaction between its members and the governmental authorities and the international organizations.

Marian Muro, General Director of Turisme de Barcelona, views very positively the joining of Barcelona to the WTTC as a Barcelona Destination DMO and she has affirmed that “the fact of being a member of the most important association of the world will allow us to be in touch with the CEOs of other tourism entities and companies to create alliances and collaboration agreements”. The Turisme de Barcelona Director, claims that “Barcelona is a destination with a great international relevance and consequently it must be in the big international entities league and participating in the decision-making group and the challenges that tourism brings. The WTTC assumes the international leadership because of its influence and also to be the voice companies and entities of the most important destinations in the world”.

Gloria Guevara Manzo, Chairwoman and WTTC CEO, has welcomed Turisme de Barcelona, and she stated that it can count on WTTC’s help to strength the travel and tourism sector in the company and, at the same time, it will be able to help in the recovery against the pandemic.

Turisme de Barcelona collaborates with the WTTC since the beginning of last November, after the agreement to manage in Barcelona the Safe Travels stamp which recognises the standardized safe travel protocols and the security measures against the Covid-19, pretending as well to inspire and to help travellers feel safe and confident again with destinations, in order to accelerate the recovery of the industry due to the Covid-19. As of today, there are more than 200 approved destinations and thousands of companies that have been recognized with this stamp. In Barcelona city, in just two months, more than 150 companies have been registered and the number increases day by day.

The WTTC has been the first international institution to launch the first worldwide security stamp, and it entails a worldwide recognition for the Barcelona establishments that want to offer a security guarantee which is, by the way, very important for all the professionals and tourism agents to ensure the implementation of the security measures and protocols against the pandemic.

WTTC works to promote the sustainable and inclusive development of the tourism industry, in collaboration with governments, destinations, communities and other agents of the sector. Its main goal is to point out the value of the economic and the social potential of tourism as a generator of economy development and job positions but also as an element that allows to reduce disparities as well as to promote safety and the global understanding. There are members such as: tourism destinations, hotel industry, airlines, airports, tour-operators, agencies, OTAs, GDSs, cruise companies, etc. They also have big global partners such as Google, McKinsey, IBM, VISA, Deloitte, Coca Cola, Hilton, Carnival Corporation, Airbnb, UBER, Iberia, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Palace Resorts, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Radisson Hotel Group, Expedia Group, Iberostar, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Melià, among others.