Former Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has secured a senior international position at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) placing the former minister at the centre of global travel policy and private sector tourism advocacy.

The announcement was made by WTTC on Thursday, April 30, 2026, confirming that Balala will now serve at the organisation’s headquarters in Madrid, Spain. His new assignment comes after years of leading Kenya’s tourism and wildlife sector and shaping both local and international tourism policy.

WTTC said Balala joins its leadership team as Executive Vice-President for Advocacy, Government Affairs and Research, where he will be responsible for driving the council’s engagement with governments and leading policy research on tourism growth across the world.

“The highly-experienced former Kenyan Tourism Minister, the Hon. Najib Balala, has been appointed to the Leadership Team at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global voice of the private sector within the industry,” the statement reads.

The council further explained that his work will be based at its global office in Madrid, where he has already started handling key responsibilities linked to advocacy and government relations across different regions.

“Based at WTTC’s global office in Madrid, Balala has started in a new role as Executive Vice-President for Advocacy, Government Affairs and Research. He will lead WTTC’s global advocacy agenda, government engagement and policy research.” the statement reads.

WTTC noted that Balala brings more than a decade of public service experience, especially from his time as Kenya’s Tourism and Wildlife minister, where he handled the sector during both stable and difficult periods, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organisation said his leadership helped Kenya remain competitive globally, and also praised his role in helping the country become the first in the world to receive the Safer Tourism Seal during the pandemic period.

“During the Covid pandemic, he spearheaded the tourism industry through policy and strategic change, leading Kenya to become the first country in the world to be awarded the ‘Safer Tourism Seal’ in recognition of the health and safety measures put in place,” the statement reads.

Taking up the role

Speaking after the appointment, Balala said he was honored to take up the role and promised to use his experience from both government and the private sector to strengthen WTTC’s global mission.

“It is an honour and a privilege to be selected by WTTC for this role, and I am looking forward to working with the visionary WTTC Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre and President & CEO Gloria Guevara,” he stated.

He said his focus will be on building stronger partnerships and ensuring the council maintains close working relations with governments and other tourism stakeholders across the world.

“I’ll be bringing my experience bridging the private and public sectors to WTTC’s overall strategic roadmap and ensuring it has strong relations with all the stakeholders in governments and beyond,” he added.

WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said Balala’s international experience will help strengthen the organisation as it expands its influence across the global tourism sector.