István Ujhelyi dr. is a jurist, former Member of the European Parliament, and currently the ambassador of UN Tourism, responsible for the cooperation with the EU institutions. Over the past decade, he served as vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) as part of the social-democratic group and as an elected representative of Hungary. He was also a member of the European Parliament’s committee on environment and health issues (ENVI) and one of the initiators of the comprehensive European Health Union program. Over the past decade, he was twice named MEP of the Year, primarily in categories related to tourism. Previously, he was a member and deputy-speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly for several years, and held decision-making positions in various governments, including as Secretary of State for regional development and the Prime Minister’s Office. He also chaired the National Tourism Committee in Hungary. Currently, Ujhelyi is a senior advisor at the APCO Worldwide consulting group and a global advisor supporting the HiSeas International Tourism Group. He is also the chairman of the board at the Bella Vista Institute of Higher Education (BVIS) in Switzerland and as a senator, he is a board member of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation. He is the founder-president of „Capital European Affairs”, which is a Brussels-based consultancy and think-tank and also the founding chairman of the Brussels-based NGO, called „OBOR Culture & Tourism Development Committee”; which fosters Chinese-European cooperation. He initiated the „European Capital of Smart Tourism” program and supported the DiscoverEU initiative as a mentor, providing free train passes to eighteen-year-olds across Europe. Additionally, Ujhelyi was named honorary ambassador for circus arts by the Monaco-based World Circus Federation, led by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.