ETOA and New Deal Europe Announce Strategic Partnership Covering South-Eastern, Central, and Eastern Europe
The European Tourism Association (ETOA) and New Deal Europe (NDE) are proud to announce a new strategic partnership that will see the two organisations collaborate to strengthen tourism development and industry representation across key regions of Europe; Southeast, Central and Eastern Europe.
The partnership will focus on activities across the following countries:
- Southeast Europe
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia
- Eastern and Central Europe
Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine
The collaboration between ETOA and New Deal Europe will build a strong, unified voice for tourism intermediaries and their suppliers throughout these regions.
This year, Central and Eastern Europe saw a growth in international visitors of over 20%, the biggest of all European regions, followed by Southern Europe with an increase of 10%. The rise of low-cost airlines and regional connectivity has made Southeastern Europe more accessible to European and global travellers. As regional cooperation and sustainability efforts increase, the region is poised to solidify its position as one of Europe’s most attractive and emerging tourism destinations.
Through this partnership, New Deal Europe (NDE) will serve as the designated and recognised regional partner for ETOA across the defined regions, and ETOA will host an annual regional workshop in partnership with NDE, creating new opportunities for industry networking, contracting and collaboration.
Tom Jenkins, CEO of ETOA, commented: “South-Eastern, Central and Eastern Europe represent a vibrant growth prospect for sustainable tourism. This partnership strengthens ETOA’s ability to connect global buyers with regional suppliers and destinations. It also ensures that the voice of the region is well represented in European tourism policy discussions.”
Tine Murn, Co-Founder of New Deal Europe, added: “We’re extremely happy to deepen our collaboration with ETOA. Together we’ve championed tourism across Southeast Europe during a period of remarkable growth in both visitor numbers and spend, and we’re proud to support this dynamic region. That growth has been driven by a desire for tourists to engage with authentic culture, exceptional destinations, and diverse nature-based experiences, which are abundant in Central Europe.
By working closely with ETOA and our regional partners, we can shine a spotlight on Central Europe’s enormous potential, supporting responsible growth, fostering innovative partnerships, and strengthening the collective identity of these markets within the wider European tourism landscape.”
About New Deal Europe
New Deal Europe is the only travel trade organisation dedicated to promoting tourism across Southeast Europe. Founded to provide a specialised B2B marketplace, consultancy, representation, education and events, NDE supports the growth of the region’s year-round tourism offer and fosters meaningful business connections between international tour operators & travel agents and regional suppliers. The flagship event (New Deal Europe Marketplace & Forum) takes place on 24th March, 2026 at the Emirates Stadium, London.
New Deal Europe is now the ETOA representative for Central and Eastern Europe, and will apply this expertise to Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
For more information, visit www.newdealeurope.com, or email Simon Young.
About European Tourism Association (ETOA)
ETOA is a member–driven community of over 1,000 organisations, from global brands to independent small businesses, DMOs, industry partners and technical specialists. Supported by our supplier members and partners, we work on behalf of tour operators, wholesalers, destination management companies and agents to enable a sustainable business environment in which European tourism can thrive and grow. We design and deliver online and face-to-face events for members and partners, driven by our sophisticated appointment matching system. We lobby on behalf of our members and participate in public-private projects at EU, national and local levels, capitalising on our wide network among origin and destination markets.
For more information, visit www.etoa.org or email us.