WTTC Is Growing Fast – and ClubMed Lifestyle Group Is the Latest Global Tourism Heavyweight to Join

As the World Travel & Tourism Council prepares for its October Global Summit in Malta, a wave of new corporate members and destination partners is reshaping the organization into an increasingly powerful platform for public-private tourism cooperation.

VALLETTA/LONDON –Something significant is happening at the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Ahead of the 26th WTTC Global Summit in Valletta, Malta, from October 7–9, 2026, the organization representing the global private travel and tourism sector is expanding rapidly — and not only among the world’s largest tourism companies.

The latest prominent name is ClubMed Lifestyle Group, which has joined WTTC as a Global Member.

The addition of ClubMed Lifestyle Group is significant because it brings one of the world’s best-known vacation brands into a membership already representing more than 200 companies. WTTC says its member companies account for approximately US$667 billion in turnover, equivalent to around 30% of the entire Travel & Tourism sector.

But the bigger story may be how WTTC is expanding the definition of who should sit at the global tourism leadership table.

Alongside major private-sector companies, WTTC has been actively bringing national and regional destinations into its network. That development could strengthen a public-private partnership model in which tourism authorities hear the global tourism conversation not primarily through the lens of politics, but through the realities of business, investment, employment, connectivity and travelers.

ClubMed Lifestyle Group joins WTTC

Founded in 1950, Club Med operates 69 premium resorts worldwideand has established a global sales network spanning six continents and more than 40 countries and regions.

Its portfolio includes sun-and-beach resorts, mountain and ski destinations and properties close to major urban centers. In the ski sector, Club Med has a presence in all four of the world’s major ski regions: the European Alps, Hokkaido in Japan, North America and Northeast China.

With a 76-year brand heritage, Club Med helped establish the premium all-inclusive resort model and developed its distinctive G.O. — Gentils Organisateurs , or “Gracious Organisers” — culture, built around interaction between employees and guests.

ClubMed Lifestyle Group is now taking that legacy beyond the traditional resort business.

Leveraging the Club Med brand and its international operating capabilities, the group is expanding through an asset-light model that includes Integrated Vacation Destinations and Cultural-Tourism Complexes. Its stated mission is simple: “Better Vacation, Better Life.”

WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevarawelcomed the group:

“We are delighted to welcome ClubMed Lifestyle Group as a Global Member. For more than seven decades, Club Med has helped shape the global leisure travel landscape, building a trusted premium brand with a worldwide footprint and a strong reputation for delivering exceptional guest experiences.

“Through its combination of world-class resort operations, innovative vacation concepts and expanding lifestyle offerings, ClubMed Lifestyle Group reflects the dynamism and long-term vision that are driving the future of Travel & Tourism.”

Xiaoliang Xu, CEO of Fosun International and Chairman of ClubMed Lifestyle Group, said joining WTTC would give the company a platform to engage directly with tourism business leaders and experts worldwide.

“We hope to explore more collaboration opportunities and jointly identify the future development directions of the tourism industry,” Xu said.

A membership drive gaining momentum

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ClubMed Lifestyle Group is not arriving alone.

During 2026, WTTC has announced an impressive stream of new members. Meliá Hotels International, with more than 400 hotels in 46 countries, joined as a Global Member in June. Avolta, the global travel retail and food-and-beverage giant operating in more than 70 countries, joined in July. Spanish tourism and real estate group Piñerobecame a Global Member in August.

Other recent additions include Barceló, Collette, Investindustrialand LAMH Management Asia, while Uberreturned to WTTC at an even higher level, joining its Executive Committee.

Regional membership has also expanded, including Ensemble Travel, Velas Resorts, Messe Berlin Americas and, most recently, Mexican hospitality company Grupo Brisas.

The expansion follows Guevara’s return to WTTC as President and CEO earlier this year. At the time, WTTC Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre said more than 15 companies were already in the membership pipeline, alongside organizations considering returning to the Council.

The numbers now suggest that this was more than an optimistic prediction.

The more interesting development: countries and destinations are joining

WTTC has historically distinguished itself as the global voice of the private sectorin tourism.

That remains its foundation.

However, its increasingly visible recruitment of destinations may ultimately prove just as important as the arrival of new corporate giants.

In April, the Uganda Tourism Boardjoined as a Destination Partner. In May, Switzerland Tourismfollowed. On August 13, the Egyptian Tourism Authoritybecame a WTTC Destination Partner.

Then, on August 26, the Malta Tourism Authorityformally joined — particularly significant because Malta will host WTTC’s Global Summit only weeks later.

WTTC defines its Destination Partner category as national tourism or destination management organizations, creating an institutional bridge between those who market and manage destinations and the private companies that actually transport, accommodate, entertain and serve their visitors.

This could be where WTTC’s expanding membership becomes particularly relevant.

For decades, the tourism industry has talked about public-private partnerships. Too often, however, the public and private sectors continue to operate in parallel worlds.

Governments deal with elections, diplomacy, regulation and national priorities. Tourism businesses deal with customers, employees, aircraft, hotel rooms, investment returns, distribution, technology and the daily realities of moving millions of people across borders.

Bringing destinations directly into an organization whose DNA remains private-sector-driven gives tourism authorities an opportunity to view international cooperation through the eyes of business rather than politics.

That doesn’t eliminate politics, nor should it. Governments remain responsible for public policy.

But it creates a place where ministers and tourism authorities can hear directly why visa policies affect bookings, why air connectivity determines destination competitiveness, why investors require regulatory certainty, why labor shortages matter, and why sustainability policies have to work economically as well as politically.

Malta could demonstrate the new WTTC

The timing makes October’s Global Summit in Malta especially interesting.

WTTC says the October 7–9 gathering at Valletta’s Mediterranean Conference Centre will bring together CEOs, government ministers, investors and other tourism leaders specifically to strengthen public-private collaboration and discuss sustainable growth and investment.

Malta itself has now moved from simply being the Summit host to becoming a WTTC Destination Partner.

And other countries clearly want a piece of the action.

Following the 2025 Global Summit in Rome, WTTC reported that a record 15 destinations across four continentshad formally expressed interest in hosting future Global Summits. They include the Bahamas, Bahrain, Canada, Colombia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Türkiye and the United States.

That level of interest suggests WTTC’s value to destinations is changing.

For governments, hosting or partnering with WTTC is no longer simply about staging another international tourism conference. It provides direct access to executives controlling investment, hotel development, aviation, cruise operations, technology, tour operations, distribution and the movement of millions of international travelers.

For private companies, meanwhile, having more destinations at the table means better access to the policymakers who can remove barriers to growth.

That is what a functioning public-private partnership is supposed to look like.

As ClubMed Lifestyle Group joins a growing list of influential tourism businesses and destinations inside WTTC, Malta may therefore become more than the location of another annual summit.

It could become the place where an expanded WTTC demonstrates how the world’s tourism private sector and destinations can cooperate globally — with business realities, rather than political divisions, providing the common language.