Google joins the European Travel Commission to support travel’s rebound

Work will raise awareness of lesser-known destinations in the continent

Google is to work with the travel sector to support its recovery having joined the European Travel Commission (ETC) as an associate member.

The search giant said the ETC membership builds on the DNO Partnership Programme which was launched in 2017 at the Destinations International Annual Conference.

This has helped destinations to target potential audiences with data and insights to develop economic growth and regional development from a sustainable tourism sector.

Google said this work aligns with ETC’s effort to raise awareness of lesser-known European destinations, highlighting benefits of local experiences and off-season travel.

The Google-ETC collaboration will build digital capabilities of tourism organisations in Europe through tailored training events for ETC’s members.

It will also guide policy and decision making in the tourism sector through joint research and thought leadership initiatives.

Google has launched the UNWTO and Google Tourism Acceleration Programme to foster digital transformation and skills to support the recovery of the sector in Europe.

Google said working with ETC it “will exchange insights to promote sustainable travel, drive tourism growth and provide an economic boost to Europe through joint-marketing services, webinars and events, and research projects”.

Eduardo Santander, ETC executive director, said: “We at ETC are thrilled to welcome Google as an Associate Member of our organisation at a time when our role in promoting European tourism is more important than ever.

“A significant announcement for the European tourism sector, Google’s membership will allow us to work together towards a brighter, stronger future for travel in Europe, for the benefit of all Europeans.

“The promotion of sustainable growth in the European tourism sector is at the core of the ETC’s strategy and we believe that Google’s membership will allow both organisations to work better on this common objective.”

Diego Ciulli, Google government affairs and public policy senior manager, added: “We are proud to join the European Travel Commission, we look forward to working together to contribute to the travel sector recovery in Europe.

“The travel landscape changes quickly, and we are committed to continue to provide digital skills trainings, data insights and tools to help travel and tourism organisations adapt their offerings to meet new travel demands.”