ISTO renews its regional leadership to boost the social sustainability of tourism
5 Feb 2025

ISTO renews its regional leadership to boost the social sustainability of tourism.

The International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO) announces the new presidents of its regional sections: Inocent Nayang Toukam (Africa), Alberto López (Americas) and Luca Pastorelli (Europe). This change reinforces the global commitment to a more inclusive and sustainable tourism.

The International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO) continues to strengthen its democratic and representative structure with the recent election of the presidents of its regional sections for the period 2024-2026. This process, held between late 2024 and early 2025, is key to ensuring the territorial representation of the network and advancing the social sustainability of tourism globally.

In Africa, Inocent Nayang Toukam has been elected to lead the regional section, consolidating the role of Cameroon and the continent in promoting socially responsible tourism. As a representative of Batoufam Culture et Tourisme (BCT), Nayang Toukam underlines the importance of collaboration between key actors in the sector for an inclusive and supportive development of tourism in the region.

For his part, Alberto López assumes the presidency of ISTO Americas, reinforcing his commitment to sustainable tourism from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). With an active trajectory in the section, his leadership seeks to strengthen the positioning of social tourism as an essential pillar for the development of the sector in the continent.

In Europe, Luca Pastorelli, from Diesis Network, continues to lead the section after serving as acting President since the end of 2023. His action plan prioritises the strengthening of the relationship between ISTO and the European Commission, as well as the development of national and regional strategies to consolidate the network on the continent. His main projects include the organisation of the ISTO Europe 2025 Forum.

New acting president

In addition, in January 2025, the ISTO Executive Committee has appointed Coralie Marti as acting President of the organisation, who will assume the leadership until the election of the new President in April 2025.

With this renewal of its leadership, ISTO reaffirms its commitment to socially responsible tourism, strengthening international cooperation to build a more supportive, accessible and sustainable sector in all regions of the world.

Sabrina Urrutia - ISTO 05-02-2025