The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Kingdom of Morocco met to advance the organization of the 24^th UNWTO General Assembly in October 2021, the first global high-level United Nations event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic.

Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions. This compares with the 4% decline recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis.