The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has re-elected Zurab Pololikashvili to the position of normal secretary of the organisation.
He’ll serve a second four-year time period, from 2022-2025.
Pololikashvili was nominated earlier this 12 months and was endorsed through the annual normal meeting of the organisation.
Assembly in Madrid, UNWTO members have strongly aligned themselves behind his management and imaginative and prescient for the sector.
Assembly in particular person for the primary time in two years, members from each international area accepted a ‘Programme of Work’ for the organisation and endorsed key initiatives designed to construct a extra a resilient, inclusive and sustainable tourism.
The final meeting has introduced collectively greater than 1,000 delegates from 135 nations, together with 84 ministers of tourism, in addition to enterprise leaders, locations and representatives of key worldwide organisations.
Opening the occasion, Pololikashvili cited the spirit of solidarity and dedication that has outlined tourism’s response to an unprecedented disaster.
In presenting his report back to members, he made clear how a deal with collaboration and harmonisation of protocols, political advocacy and securing monetary assist for tourism, have assist the sector mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and laid the foundations for tourism’s restart in lots of elements of the nation.
Will probably be a real honor to steer UNWTO for the subsequent 4 years. I thank UNWTO’s Members for backing my nomination and imaginative and prescient for a sector which means a lot to so many individuals – myself included. Allow us to now unite and #RestartTourism! pic.twitter.com/eqs8V891Rr
— Zurab Pololikashvili (@pololikashvili) December 1, 2021
Pololikashvili mentioned: “In each international area, the pandemic has made clear the significance of our sector – for financial development, for jobs and commerce, and for shielding pure and cultural heritage. We should profit from this chance – to remodel goodwill into concrete assist.”
Emphasising the importance of the overall meeting, United Nations secretary normal, Antonio Guterres, welcomed delegates and referred to as for them to work collectively for a “inexperienced, inclusive, sustainable” future.
Guterres added: “I commend UNWTO and secretary normal Pololikashvili and hope the selections taken on the normal meeting will assist restore belief in journey and get the world transferring safely do creating economies can reap the advantages of sustainable tourism.”
The 24 #UNWTOGA helps @UNWTO Secretary-Normal @pololikashvili for a second time period for the interval 2022-2025. pic.twitter.com/0nDWJr21q2
— World Tourism Group (@UNWTO) December 1, 2021
Alongside receiving an up to date on UNWTO’s actions for the reason that final normal meeting two years in the past, members additionally benefited from a complete overview of the most recent tourism traits, as indicated by UNWTO’s newest data, in addition to an up to date overview of restrictions on journey worldwide.
From the ground of the meeting, members from totally different international areas expressed their solidarity with nations impacted by the continued imposition of journey restrictions.
Pololikashvili is a Georgian politician and diplomat.
From 2005-2009, he was Georgian deputy international minister, and he served as ambassador to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra.
Picture: UNWTO
