Tokyo, Japan., May 02, 2022 _ Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairman of the Board, JTB Corp, was newly elected as Vice Chair of the WTTC.

At the World Travel &Tourism Council (https://wttc.org/: hereafter WTTC) Global Summit 2022 held in Philippines in April 2022, Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairperson of the Board, JTB Corp, was newly elected as Vice-Chair of the WTTC. His term of office will be for three years from April 2022. And Hiromi Tagawa (Senior Executive Adviser, Member of the Board), who retired as WTTC Vice-President, was awarded the Global Icon for Travel and Tourism Award for his contribution to the development of the global tourism industry at this year's congress. He is the first Japanese to be appointed as a WTTC Ambassador and will be responsible for promoting sustainable tourism in the tourism industry.

Founded in 1990, WTTC is the world's largest private non-profit organization in the international tourism area, comprising 178 heads of the world's leading tourism-related companies and organizations. It is the only organization that covers the major tourism-related sectors on a global scale and is the only private sector organization of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). As the private counterpart of the UNWTO (The World Tourism Organization), it conducts research and studies related to tourism and lobbies governments and international organizations on a variety of issues. It has held global summits in various countries every year and is also known as the 'Davos of tourism conference ' due to its size and diversity.

In 2020 WTTC has developed "The Safe Travel Stamp" to help restore confidence in travelers, aiming to revive the global Travel & Tourism sector which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the world's first ever global safety and hygiene stamp, continues to lead the private sector in the efforts to rebuild global consumer confidence and encourage the return of travels.

JTB has been a member of the WTTC since 2008. We will continue to work with members in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world to promote quality tourism and sustainability in the tourism sector.

<About JTB>

Today's JTB traces its roots back to Japan Tourist Bureau, an agency formed in 1912 for the purpose of servicing the ticketing needs of foreign tourists in Japan. Over a century of history, JTB steadily evolved into a travel and tourism industry leader. Through vision, integrity, innovation, and unsurpassed know-how, the JTB Group consistently creates unparalleled value for its stakeholders.