Tim Fairhurst manages the European Tourism Association’s (ETOA) non-commercial activity on the business environment and policy that affects tourism, capacity optimisation and product diversification, destination engagement and climate action. ETOA declared a climate emergency in 2020, and supports a growing community of sustainability leads within its membership.
Tim leads ETOA’s collaboration with policy makers, industry partners, academics and DMOs, and contributes to public debate through panels and publications. He is on the advisory board of Shared Horizons and a member of the European Commission’s T4T Together for EU tourism expert group and other initiatives intended to support European tourism’s green and digital transition towards a more resilient industrial ecosystem.
As co-chair, he coordinates the Tourism Manifesto, a pan-European consensus-driven alliance of over 70 sectoral organisations developing priorities related to EU strategy, regulation, funding mechanisms and good practice initiatives.
Following studies in France, Ireland, and the UK, he trained as a lawyer and mediator and worked in tours operations and product development for EF Education First before joining ETOA.
The European Tourism Association (ETOA) was founded in 1989 to provide a voice for the incoming travel industry. It has since evolved to champion of the value of the visitor economy across Europe and support better tourism. Based in Brussels with an operational hub in the UK and a regional representation, it includes over 300 international buyers selling Europe worldwide, and over 600 suppliers and 100 destination management organisations. Its diverse network offers access to a range of insight from both public and private sector stakeholders.