At the 2013 General Assembly of European Cities Marketing (ECM), which aims to improve the competitiveness and performance of leading European cities, a president was chosen.
Elected as ECM president is Ignacio de Delás of Barcelona, who is also the deputy general manager of Turisme de Barcelona, which officially promotes the Spanish city.
“This role is a great honor and a privilege, but it will also be a challenge in an unstable economic context. More than ever before, convention bureaus, tourist boards and city marketing organizations have to join forces,” said de Delás. “The ECM strategy 2013-2016 will enable us to focus on new opportunities and work on breakthrough solutions to obtain growth.”
From 1983 to 1988, de Delás was member of the Planning Studies Center and permanent consultant in the Centre d’Etudes des Transports pour la Méditerranée Occidentale, which depended on the United Nations.
He consulted with companies about issues facing the hotel management and restaurant industries while at THR, a tourist consultancy company in Spain, and he worked as an international consultant at World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In 1992, de Delás was the services director for Trade and Tourism of the Official Chamber of Trade, Industry and Navigation of Barcelona. Until 2000, he was the director of planning and management control of Turisme de Barcelona. As the director of the Catalan Tourism Board from 2004-2011, he contributed to the launch of the Catalan Agency of Tourism.
He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Barcelona Convention Bureau, the Executive Committee and the General Council of the Diputació de Barcelona Promotion Tourist Agency. He has also occupied the vice presidency of the European Cities Tourism Administration Board from 2002-2004.
