ETOA members could be in for a nice little earner, thanks to a decision made eight years ago to ditch membership certificates.
Instead, when a tour operator became a member, ETOA sent the company a small work of art.
Now the artist, Luke Elwes, who was commissioned to create the signed lithographs sent to members has become a bit of a name, with his work selling for thousands of pounds.
He has work hanging in the corporate collection at Christie’s, the National Trust and Deutsche Bank and has his own high profile exhibitions.
Even small signed lithographs such as the ones sent out to members would sell at around £150 a pop.
And for those who’ve been a member since ETOA began gifting its unique membership certificates, there’s a pretty penny stored up.
ETOA executive director Tom Jenkins said: “Unless you are a serious anorak, or lost to conceptual art, membership certificates are deeply boring documents. Normally their role is to become waste paper. Tourists are drawn to Europe by artistic culture. It is appropriate that we should have a lasting way to celebrate that.”
