WTTC from Madrid presents a new global team for tourism and travel
The World Travel & Tourism Council, better known by its English abbreviation WTTC, has opened a new phase of its work by presenting an expanded global management structure that will operate from Madrid. The organization announced that the new team brings together experts, former leaders of major companies, people with experience in the public sector and professionals from different parts of the travel and tourism industry. According to the published data, the expanded team includes 21 nationalities across five continents, which WTTC presents as a response to the increasingly complex needs of a sector that, after the pandemic collapse, has returned to a phase of strong growth, but at the same time is entering a period of greater regulatory, investment, technological and sustainability challenges.
The announcement from Madrid is not only personnel news, but also part of a broader change in WTTC's position in international tourism policy. The organization, which brings together leading companies from air transport, hospitality, cruising, tour operator business, technology and other related activities, announced in December 2025 that its new global office would be precisely in the Spanish capital. This made Madrid the central operational point for activities that WTTC describes as advocacy for the sector's interests, research, work with members and strengthening public-private cooperation. Within the same framework, the new management architecture has now also been presented, with an emphasis on commercial development, relations with governments, research, destinations, communications and regional presence.
Madrid as the new center of the global tourism lobby
The decision on Madrid was made after a strategic review in which, according to WTTC, Dubai, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland expressed interest in hosting the global office. The organization stated that office and operating costs, the tax and incentive framework, the possibilities of accelerated visas and work permits, government support, living costs important for attracting and retaining experts, and proximity to international organizations were assessed. Madrid, according to the official explanation, was chosen unanimously by WTTC's executive committee, and the reasons highlighted included the city's competitiveness, a more favorable tax environment, the support of the Spanish government, easier visa processing for employees and lower operating costs.
The broader European context also plays an important role in that decision. In December, WTTC stated that challenges related to Brexit, especially restrictions on talent mobility, had made the United Kingdom less attractive for an organization that wants to strengthen global agility and international character. The shift of the operational center of gravity from London to Madrid can therefore be read as an institutional adjustment to new working conditions, but also as a symbolic shift toward a city that already has strong connections with international tourism organizations. Madrid is the headquarters of UN Tourism, and WTTC particularly emphasizes synergy with such actors, connectivity through Madrid-Barajas Airport and the possibility of access to international experts.
For WTTC, the new location is also important because of the way the organization wants to communicate with its members. It is an association whose members are board chairs, presidents and chief executive officers of leading private companies in the global travel and tourism sector. The organization presents itself as the global voice of the private sector in that industry and as an interlocutor for governments and international institutions on issues of employment, exports, investment, sustainable growth and the economic contribution of tourism. From Madrid, it now wants to strengthen precisely that role: less as a classic administrative office, and more as an operational platform for research, public policies and membership.
Who are the key people in the new structure
The new management structure brings together several prominent names with experience from the private and public sectors. Esteban Velásquez Wilhelm has been appointed executive vice president for business development and membership, with responsibility for global commercial strategy, member engagement and strategic partnerships. WTTC states that he has more than 25 years of experience in travel, hospitality and tourism technology, including previous leadership roles in the companies Karisma Hotels and Price Travel. His task will be especially important in a period in which WTTC wants to expand membership and demonstrate the concrete value of the organization to companies operating in different segments of the industry.
Najib Balala, the long-serving former Kenyan tourism minister, is taking over the area of advocacy, government relations and research. His role as executive vice president includes the global public policy agenda, contacts with governments and research work that WTTC uses to argue the impact of tourism on the economy and employment. Balala brings to the organization experience from state policy and international tourism diplomacy, which is important for WTTC because the sector is increasingly encountering issues of visas, borders, workforce, sustainability, infrastructure investment and regulatory conditions for growth.
Maribel Rodríguez Gamero has been appointed executive vice president for destinations. Her task is cooperation with destination leaders and strengthening the representation of destinations within WTTC. Official announcements state that she has more than 25 years of international experience in aviation, hospitality, global events and destination development. This position is especially important because tourism growth is no longer measured only by the number of arrivals, but also by capacity management, the balance between local communities and visitors, the quality of jobs and the ability of destinations to attract investment without undermining long-term sustainability.
In the communications area, Sarah Jukes, vice president for strategic communications and content, is highlighted. She will lead the development of messages and content through which WTTC wants to position its advocacy priorities. Financial management has been entrusted to Julio Solvas, chief financial officer, while the team also includes Caroline Moultrie for the Together in Travel initiative, Christopher Imbsen for policy, Lola Uña Cárdenas for government affairs, Natalie Duggal for finance, Nejc Jus for research, Esmeralda Rios as chief of staff, Pablo Dopacio for human resources and a series of regional directors for the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, Africa and China.
Gloria Guevara and the return of experience from the public and private sectors
At the head of WTTC is Gloria Guevara, the organization's president and chief executive officer. WTTC previously announced that Guevara was returning to that post in a new phase, after she had already led the organization during the period marked by the pandemic crisis. Her career includes more than three decades of experience in travel and tourism, including the position of Mexican minister of tourism, work in major companies such as Sabre, and advisory and management roles in international organizations and business circles. In the biography published by WTTC, it is particularly emphasized that, as Mexican minister, she participated in the inclusion of tourism in the declaration of the leaders of the G20 group.
In the new structure, Guevara emphasizes the diversity of the team as a prerequisite for more effective representation of an industry that cannot be viewed from the perspective of one market or one type of business. According to her statement, WTTC has built leadership that reflects the current and future needs of travel and tourism, with a wider range of nationalities, expertise and perspectives. That message also carries political weight: the travel industry depends on decisions by governments, border regimes, transport infrastructure, investment conditions, security, digitalization and climate policies, so an international organization that wants to influence public policies must show the ability to understand different markets.
WTTC chairman Manfredi Lefebvre said that the new global team brings together experience from around the world and positions the organization for a more influential role in shaping the future of travel and tourism. In earlier announcements, WTTC also announced the continuation of global summits, including the next major summit in Malta in October 2026, as well as an additional event dedicated to the cruise industry. The organization also mentions expanding membership, including a greater focus on small and medium-sized enterprises through the Together in Travel platform, because precisely such companies make up a large part of the global tourism ecosystem, although they do not have the same institutional strength as the largest hotel, airline or technology players.
Why this change matters for global tourism
The changes at WTTC come at a time when the travel and tourism sector is recording strong economic results. According to data from WTTC and Chase Travel published in April 2026, travel and tourism in 2025 achieved a record global economic value of 11.6 trillion US dollars and grew faster than the overall world economy. The same data states that in 2025 the sector increased its economic contribution by 4.1 percent compared with the previous year, while the global economy grew by 2.8 percent. Such indicators explain why the discussion about tourism is increasingly moving from promotional campaigns into the area of industrial policy, labor markets, international competitiveness and sustainable development.
WTTC has for years emphasized that tourism is not only a set of services related to travel, but an economic system that includes transport, accommodation, hospitality, technology, retail, culture, events, financial services and public infrastructure. That is why research on the sector's contribution to GDP and employment has become one of the organization's main tools in conversations with governments. If the sector is growing faster than the wider economy, but at the same time faces a labor shortage, pressure on destinations, the need for decarbonization and changes in traveler habits, then organizations such as WTTC are expected to do more than promote travel: they are expected to articulate policies that can align growth, competitiveness and social acceptability.
The new Madrid structure therefore has a dual function. On the one hand, WTTC is sending a message to its members that it wants to be operationally more efficient and closer to their needs. On the other hand, it is telling governments and international institutions that it has a global team that can speak about local markets, but also about the common problems of the sector. Regional directors for Latin America and the Caribbean, northern and southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, North America and Europe should enable the organization to gain better insight into different regulatory and market conditions, which is especially important in an industry in which a change in visa regime, air capacity or tax policy can quickly change the competitiveness of a destination.
Between growth, sustainability and public policies
WTTC's announcement comes in a period in which the tourism sector is positioned between optimism due to record demand and caution due to long-term pressures. The growth of international travel brings revenues, jobs and investment, but at the same time opens questions of infrastructure, seasonality, emissions, housing affordability in the most visited cities and relations between visitors and local communities. Organizations that represent the industry increasingly have to show that they can speak not only about growth, but also about the quality of growth. That is precisely why expressions such as sustainable growth, public-private cooperation, research and better policy-making are repeated in WTTC's messages.
It is especially important that the new leadership combines experience from private companies and public institutions. The tourism sector depends on entrepreneurs and investors, but they cannot solve issues of borders, visas, security, infrastructure, workforce education or sustainability rules on their own. Governments, on the other hand, often need data and operational insights from the industry so that policies are feasible, and not only declarative. WTTC wants to occupy the space between these two worlds: as an organization that collects data, shapes recommendations and brings together those who make decisions about capital, jobs and public rules.
The presentation of the global team from Madrid is therefore the beginning of a new phase in which it will be measured how much WTTC can turn organizational change into real influence. The very fact that the team includes 21 nationalities does not guarantee success, but it shows the direction in which the organization wants to go: toward a broader geographical reach, stronger research capacity and more intensive work with governments and members. In a sector that is once again among the most dynamic parts of the world economy, but also among the most exposed to political, climate and social changes, such ambition will very quickly be tested in concrete decisions, partnerships and public policies that shape the future of travel.
Sources:- WTTC – official announcement on the selection of Madrid as the organization's new global office (link)- WTTC – official page on the leadership and role of the organization in the travel and tourism sector (link)- WTTC – announcement on Gloria Guevara and the organization's new leadership phase (link)- WTTC – announcement on the record economic results of travel and tourism in 2025 (link)- Breaking Travel News – announcement on the presentation of the global WTTC team from Madrid (link)
Find accommodation nearby
Creation time: 3 hours ago