The European Travel Commission (ETC) is an association of national tourism organisations (NTOs). It was created in 1948 to promote Europe as a destination to long-haul tourism markets outside Europe. It currently has 39 members.

ETC is an independent body which is financed entirely by annual membership contributions. It also generates significant funding for its marketing activities from commercial partners in relevant marketplaces.

NTOs are governmental organisations set up to market and promote tourism to their own individual countries. However, for some markets and market segments, the European brand carries more weight than individual national brands. It is in such markets that ETC is active, bringing together its member NTOs in partnership to promote Europe - and to seek to generate tourism flows, which NTOs would find much harder to achieve individually.

Which countries are members of ETC?

European Union: Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Plus: Croatia, Georgia, Iceland, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, FYR Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine.

(Situation in December 2008)

How ETC markets Europe

ETC has Operations Groups in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Japan. The members of these groups are the NTO directors in those countries. They give their time freely to collaborate on joint promotions and activities under the European banner in their respective markets.

Online marketing is central to ETC's marketing activities. These are spearheaded by the internet portal, visiteurope.com, which is opening up new opportunities for Europe both in emerging markets such as China, Russia and India, and in the continent's more traditional markets.

ETC also has two strategic groups based in Europe which take their members from NTOs' head-office staff. These are the Market Intelligence Group of market researchers and the Marketing and Technology Network, which brings together NTOs' specialists in online marketing and technologies.

The organisation's activities are co-ordinated by a small secretariat based in Brussels, the Executive Unit.

Marketing and Technology Network

The Marketing and Technology Network (MTN) is the group responsible for commissioning, funding and overseeing the New Media Trend Watch. As a forum which allows NTOs to learn from each other's initiatives and experience, it regards its support for this website as a fundamental part of ETC's investment in a new-media driven future - for the benefit of its members and the tourism industry as a whole.

Find out more about ETC and the MTN from www.etc-corporate.org