The UNWTO highlights diplomacy as a way to resolve conflicts

UNWTO has concluded a week of meetings in Geneva, securing strong support for its call to facilitate travel and enhance strategic partnerships to define the future of tourism. UNWTO also emphasized that diplomacy is the only option for man-made problems and amplified the voice of tourism for peace and international solidarity.

UNWTO strongly condemns unilateral and unjustified acts of aggression and supports the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his call for diplomacy to win. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "At a time when diplomacy has been abandoned, the values ​​of tourism, a pillar of peace and solidarity, are more vital than ever."

UNWTO, WHO and the new fiduciary architecture

At a time when diplomacy has been abandoned, the values ​​of tourism, a pillar of peace and solidarity, are more vital than ever

At the beginning of the week, the UNWTO was received at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) by its Director General, Dr. Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Together, the leaders of the two UN agencies agreed on the importance of lifting or easing travel restrictions wherever possible, citing their ineffectiveness and the economic and social cost of closing borders to tourists.

Mr. Pololikashvili underlined that "UNWTO is proud to work with WHO to safely and responsibly restart tourism for the benefit of many around the world." UNWTO and WHO agree on the need for a new "architecture of trust" to restore confidence in travel and drive the recovery of the sector.

Aeronautical and tourist education

Talks between Secretary General Pololikashvili and International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh also focused on collaboration for the safe return of travel, highlighting the need for common rules and rebuilding trust.

The official visit to Switzerland was an opportunity to advance several of UNWTO's strategic priorities, including employment in tourism and education. The Secretary-General and his team were received at the Gilon Institute of Higher Education and the Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) by their Dean Ulrika Björklund and at the new UNWTO International Center in Switzerland at the Bella Vista Higher Education Campus in Altdorf. To advance plans to empower a new generation of tourism leaders, UNWTO met with the Executive Director of the Swiss Education Group, Yong Shen, and Benoit-Etienne Domenget, Executive Director of Sommet Education, a UNWTO partner for online learning.

Sports tourism and tourism and rural development

En Nyon, una visita oficial a la sede de la UEFA (Unión de Asociaciones Europeas de Fútbol) vio al Secretario General Pololikashvili reforzar los lazos entre dos de los sectores más grandes y transversales del mundo. Junto con el presidente de la UEFA, Aleksander Čeferin, las dos organizaciones acordaron trabajar juntas para promover y hacer crecer el turismo deportivo y construir un legado conjunto a través del empoderamiento de los jóvenes, comenzando en la Cumbre Mundial de Turismo Juvenil de la OMT en agosto.

The Secretary-General visited Gruyères, named one of the Best Tourist Villages by the UNWTO at the 24th General Assembly, where he praised the commitment to harnessing tourism to promote and protect its cultural and gastronomic heritage and support local employment and businesses. Along with the visit, the first to one of the Best Tourist Villages, the UNWTO delegation also met with Eric Jakob, Ambassador of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), whose report includes tourism policy, as well as Martin Nydegger, Executive Director. of Switzerland Tourism. The meetings offered UNWTO leaders the opportunity to welcome Switzerland's recent decision to lift almost all restrictions on the entry of tourists, setting an example for other countries to follow.