The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced this Thursday its decision to relocate its headquarters from London (United Kingdom) to Madrid, following a selection process among several candidates, including Geneva, Milan, Paris, and Dubai.
This decision was unanimously supported by the 17 members of the international organization’s executive committee, based on evaluation criteria across six areas, such as rental costs, tax environment and incentives, government support, and proximity to international organizations. In a statement, the WTTC highlighted that the Madrid office will provide “immediate access” to a “significantly broader and more diverse” talent pool.
Spain was also selected for its “robust” international connectivity through the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, its “competitive” business environment, government support, synergies with international organizations in the sector such as UN Tourism, and its alignment with the WTTC’s global mission.
For the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, this decision reinforces Spain’s position as a “tourism powerhouse” and turns Madrid into “the world capital of tourism governance, integrating public and private voices.” He added, “if the WTTC wants to be physically located where the future of tourism is decided and where tourism is truly an economic engine, Spain is the ideal place.”
As noted in a statement from the Ministry, the new WTTC headquarters in Madrid will enable the creation of a “global tourism campus,” as well as the opportunity to generate joint projects funded by international organizations and public-private investors to launch new pilot initiatives and knowledge centers focused on tourism.
“For her part, the CEO and interim president of the WTTC, Gloria Guevara, highlighted that being located in ‘a competitive city’ like Madrid will help the organization strengthen ‘even further.’
Since its creation in 1975, Madrid has hosted the headquarters of UN Tourism—formerly the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)—which will also debut new offices in 2026 next to the Palacio de Congresos on Paseo de la Castellana.”
