European Travel Commission’s Executive Director, Eduardo Santander, visits World Tourism Alliance Headquarters

HANGZHOU, CHINA – June 14, 2023 – Adding a new chapter to global tourism cooperation, Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission, recently led a delegation to the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) headquarters in the idyllic Xianghu, Hangzhou.
Accompanied by Liu Shijun, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of WTA, the delegation toured the WTA headquarters and the World Tourism Expo. Following the tour, a work meeting was held between Santander’s delegation and WTA staff.

Liu warmly welcomed Santander’s visit and congratulated him on his election as Vice Chairman of the WTA in the first session of the organization’s second council meeting held in February this year. He expressed gratitude to the European Travel Commission for its attention to the Chinese market and its proactive support for WTA’s work over the past years. “Under the mission ‘Better Tourism, Better Life, Better World’, the WTA aims to create a world where tourism fosters global prosperity,” Liu expressed. “The WTA is willing to enhance cooperation with the European Travel Commission in areas such as information communication, talent cultivation, market research, and brand building. Our aim is to jointly promote interconnectivity and co-governance of global tourism at a non-governmental level.”
Santander thanked the WTA for the invitation and expressed his confidence in the revival of bilateral tourism between China and Europe in the post-pandemic world. He acknowledged that China and Europe are important sources and destinations for tourists, and the potential for tourism cooperation between the two sides is tremendous. “We value the Chinese market highly,” Santander said. “The European Travel Commission is willing to work with the WTA to jointly address challenges in Sino-European tourism, such as lack of transport capacity, payment barrier, and complex visa procedures. We aim to promote the revitalization and sustainable development of Sino-European tourism, focusing not only on the economic benefits brought by tourism but also on its social benefits, such as fostering mutual understanding among people and protecting the environment.”
Throughout the meeting, both parties engaged in vibrant discussions on a series of pioneering projects, charting a path for future collaboration.