Christian de BarrinHOTREC, the business association representing the European hospitality industry, will welcome a new CEO at the occasion of its next General Assembly to be held in Rome from 10 to 11 April 2014. ‘’2014 represents a key milestone for the hospitality sector, notably with the up-coming elections of the European Parliament as well as new European Commission and I am pleased to inform that Christian de Barrin will join the Association as its new CEO in this time of change. His experience in strategic communication, stakeholder relations and public affairs will be an asset to promote the industry’s many contributions to society and call for a new SME policy to sustain its competitiveness”, said Kent Nyström, President of HOTREC. The hospitality sector, which represents 1.8 million SMES and employs 10.2 million people in Europe, has been one of the fastest-growing sectors creating 200.00 new jobs between 2008 and 2010; driven by entrepreneurship and innovation. It is an important component of tourism in Europe, which is the largest destination in the world with a market share of around 50%.