The World Travel & Tourism Council has welcomed Luis Araújo, president, Turismo de Portugal, as its newest member and Destination Partner.

Araújo joins peers from Visit California, NYC & Company, Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority to become the organisation’s fifth partner in five months.

The announcement thus marks WTTC’s first formal affiliation with a partner based in Europe.

The Destination Partner category – the newest member classification - amplifies the voice of major national tourism organisations and destination management organisations from across the globe, and will serve to tackle issues within the tourism sector such as overcrowding and crisis preparedness.

WTTC’s partnership with Turismo de Portugal follows a joint-event hosted in Lisbon this month.

On September 11th, WTTC and Turismo Portugal welcomed over 150 chief executives, ministers and industry leaders from across the continent to the inaugural Europe Leaders Forum, to discuss key issues affecting the region’s tourism sector including travel facilitation, sustainable growth, and the future of work.

Gloria Guevara, president, WTTC, said: “I am so pleased to officially welcome Luis Araújo as a member and partner of WTTC.

“Portugal is a well-established destination with its tourism sector boasting a growth rate that is three times faster than the country’s economy as a whole.”