Skål is a professional organization of tourism leaders around the World, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international organization bringing together all sectors of the travel and tourism industry. Its members are the managers and executives of the travel industry. They meet at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest.

Skål International presently has approx. 25,000 members in over 525 Clubs in 80 nations. Most activities occur at local levels, moving up through National committees, under the umbrella of Skål International, headquartered in Torremolinos, Spain. The Skål movement in North American area has grown to the extent that there are now approximately 5,600 Skålleagues in 120 cities.

The objectives of Skål are to develop true friendship and common purpose among the members of the travel and tourist industry and, through tourism, to foster goodwill and mutual understanding among peoples of the world. In every country the ideals of Skål are unity, goodwill, friendship and fellowship. None of the Skål activities are of a partisan or political nature.

History of the Skål Movement

Shortly after the inauguration of the first joint Swedish and French air service between Stockholm and Paris in 1932, a group of travel men from the French capital were invited to make an exploratory flight over the new route. The welcome they received in Stockholm led to many pleasant friendships.

Realizing the importance of closer relationships among those who strive to develop national and international travel, the men who made the flight to Stockholm determined to form a permanent organization whose primary aim would be the creation of goodwill and friendship in travel and transportation circles throughout the world.

The Skål Club of Paris was formed on December 16, 1932. In 1934 twelve other clubs had been formed and Florimond Volckaert conceived the idea of uniting them into an international organization. The Association International des Skål Clubs (A.I.S.C.) was created on April 28, 1934, and Volckaert became its Founder President. Under his leadership, and with his usual enthusiasm, founding President Volkaert saw the original twelve Skål clubs in France in 1934 grow to more than 300 in more than 81 countries throughout the world.

On April 1, 1938, the Skål Club of North America (Skål Club of New York, #28) was founded. As the first Skål Club established in North America, the New York Club assisted and guided in the formation of other Skål Clubs on this continent. “The North American Chapter Committee” in which all Skål Clubs in North America were represented, was formed on March 31, 1949, and was followed by the North American Skål Council on August 9, 1950, which was superseded by the National Skål Committee, U.S.A. as National Committees were formed in Canada, Mexico and U.S.A.

Governing organizations of Skål

• Association International Des Skål Clubs (A.I.S.C.) a.k.a. Skål International, the organization to which all Skål Members and Clubs belong
• A.I.S.C. Executive Committee. The international governing organization
• North American Area Skål Committee (N.A.A.S.C.). The governing organization of the North American Skål Clubs (USA, Mexico, Canada and Affiliate which includes Caribbean and Central American countries)
• Skål International USA (SIUSA), formerly (N.S.C.U.S.A.). The governing organization of the Skål Clubs in the U.S.A. (Canada and Mexico have their own committee)
• S.I.U.S.A. Board of Directors. Responsible to AISC for administration of the Clubs in USA
• S.I.U.S.A. Representative. The elected representative from the Clubs to S.I.U.S.A.