The Board of the UNWTO Affiliate Members met for the first time in 2022 today against the backdrop of the FITUR international tourism trade fair.

Top of the agenda was elections to choose the Board’s Chair and two Vice Chairs to serve for the next four years. The 23 members of the Board voted Hotel Business Association Madrid (AEHM) as Chair, represented by Ms. Mar de Miguel, Executive Vice President; Chamber of Tourism of Argentina as 1st Vice Chair represented by Mr. Gustavo Hani, President; and Chameleon Strategies as 2nd Vice Chair represented by Mr. Jens Thraenhart, CEO.

Following on from the elections, the new Chair, Ms. Mar de Miguel, expressed her gratitude for the trust placed in them by the rest of the Board and expressed her readiness to work to unlock the full potential of the UNWTO Affiliate Members network as a tool to promote a better tourism, enhance public-private cooperation and accelerate the recovery of the sector.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of UNWTO, commented: “UNWTO stands ready to work hand-in-hand with the new Board of the Affiliate Members, and I would like to personally congratulate the elected Chair and Vice Chairs for their hard work. I wish them the best in their new roles.”

Affiliate Members Growing

The Board of the Affiliate Members is the representative body of the more than 500 Affiliate Members of UNWTO. Among its functions, it is to provide recommendations and proposals to the Secretary-General for the preparation of the Programme of Work for the Affiliate Members and on any question regarding Affiliate Membership.

Following the approval at the 24th UNWTO General Assembly of the new Legal Framework of the Affiliate Members, which deepened the prerogatives of the Board, it will be called to work towards strengthening the role of the Affiliate Members within the organization and reinforcing the partnership between tourism’s private sector and UNWTO’s Member States.