WTTC reinforced its global leadership at FITUR 2026 and consolidated Madrid as its new headquarters

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) had a strategic participation in FITUR 2026, held from January 21 to 25 in Madrid, reaffirming its role as the global voice of the private sector of the travel and tourism industry.

During the official opening, Gloria Guevara Manzo, president and CEO of the WTTC, was part of the delegation that accompanied Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain at the opening ceremony of the fair, considered the main meeting of the sector worldwide, which brought together more than 250,000 visitors and 10,000 companies from 161 countries.

During the event, Guevara Manzo led the Executive Roundtable, a high-level discussion that brought together business leaders, ministers, and authorities from different regions, with the aim of promoting investment opportunities and discussing the main challenges of the industry, such as talent development, mobility, sustainability, and economic growth.

Among the participants were HE Shaikha Al Nowais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism; Jordi Hereu, Minister of Industry and Tourism of Spain; Takeshi Nakano, Deputy Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency; Teresa Mera Gómez, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru; William Rodríguez López, Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica; and Harris Whitbeck, Minister of Tourism of Guatemala, among other representatives from the public and private sectors.

Also participating were prominent business leaders such as Frank Rainieri, founder and president of Grupo Puntacana; Antonio Cosío, CEO of Grupo Brisas; Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels; Pansy Ho, executive president of Shun Tak Holdings Limited; José Chapur, founder of The Palace Company; Gloria Fluxà, vice president of Iberostar; and Malula Prieto, executive president of CNET.

One of the most significant milestones was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the WTTC, the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the Madrid City Council, which formalized the relocation of the organization's headquarters to the Spanish capital, consolidating Spain as a key player in global tourism leadership.

In addition, Guevara Manzo participated in multiple top-level forums, such as the closing of the XII Hotusa Explora Tourism Innovation Forum, together with Amancio López, president of Grupo Hotusa, and held meetings with representatives of ASETUR, governors and authorities from different countries, reinforcing public-private cooperation.

With more than three decades of experience, the WTTC continued to position itself as a global benchmark in advocating for the economic and social impact of tourism, through data-based studies that measured its contribution to GDP, employment and sustainable development worldwide.

Source: WTTC