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MADRID, Spain —The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has welcomed Spanish tourism and real estate group Piñero as a Global Member, adding a company with more than five decades of experience across hotels, tour operations, property development, golf and transportation to its international private-sector membership.
Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, Piñero has developed an integrated tourism business spanning Spain, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The company says its strategy increasingly centers on regenerative tourism — an approach intended not only to reduce the industry’s environmental and social footprint, but also to generate measurable benefits for destinations and local communities.
For WTTC, the addition brings another vertically integrated tourism company into an organization that represents senior executives from some of the world’s largest travel and tourism businesses.
“We are delighted to welcome Piñero to WTTC as a Global Member,” said Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO.
“As an international tourism group with over 50 years of experience, Piñero brings valuable expertise across hospitality, real estate, travel, and mobility. Their strong commitment to a regenerative approach to tourism and creating positive impact in destinations aligns closely with WTTC’s priorities and will further strengthen our collective efforts to drive a more sustainable and resilient Travel & Tourism sector worldwide.”
From Mallorca to the Caribbean
Piñero’s operations are organized around four divisions designed to work as an interconnected tourism ecosystem.
Its Hospitality division includes 25 owned hotels in Spain, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, operated through different management models.
Real Estate & Golf develops premium residential communities and operates PGA of America-accredited golf courses in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
The company’s Travel business is led by Soltour, an independent tour operator serving the Spanish and Portuguese markets. Its Mobility division provides land and maritime transportation designed to complement the group’s broader tourism portfolio, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable solutions.
This combination gives Piñero exposure to several stages of the visitor journey — from booking and transportation to accommodation, recreation and property development — while allowing the group to pursue operational synergies across its businesses.
Regenerative Tourism Moves Up the Agenda
Piñero’s WTTC membership also reflects a wider shift in the tourism industry’s sustainability debate.
While much of the sector’s environmental strategy has traditionally focused on reducing emissions, waste and other negative impacts, regenerative tourism sets a broader ambition: destinations and communities should ultimately benefit from tourism activity rather than simply absorb its consequences.
Piñero says this philosophy is central to its long-term strategy and its approach to the environments and communities where it operates.
“Becoming a member of the WTTC represents a major strategic milestone for Piñero,” said Encarna Piñero, Global CEO of Piñero.
“Joining this global community of industry leaders enables us to reinforce our unwavering commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, whilst contributing our voice and expertise to shape the future of international tourism.”
Piñero said collaboration on environmental sustainability, ethical management and community wellbeing would be essential to developing “a model that stands the test of time.”
A Seat at the Global Tourism Table
WTTC represents the private sector of the global Travel & Tourism industry, with members including chairmen, presidents and CEOs from hotel groups, airlines, airports, cruise companies, tour operators, technology platforms and other major tourism businesses.
The organization works with governments and industry leaders on issues ranging from economic growth and investment to sustainability, resilience and policies affecting international travel. It is also known for research measuring Travel & Tourism’s contribution to economies and employment around the world.
For Piñero, joining WTTC provides a platform to participate more directly in those international discussions at a time when destinations are confronting the challenge of balancing tourism growth with environmental pressures, community interests and the quality of the visitor experience.
The company was founded by Pablo Piñero in 1975. It is currently chaired by Isabel García Lorca, while Encarna Piñero has served as Global CEO since 2017.
After more than 50 years in tourism, the Mallorca-based group is now positioning its next stage of development around an idea increasingly important to the global travel industry: tourism growth should create lasting value not only for travelers and businesses, but also for the places and people that make travel possible.
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