- General Assembly Special Edition #4

- General Assembly Special Edition #4 - September 13 2019 -

General Assembly a Great Success as Members Welcome Palau and Look to the Future

Welcome to UNWTO, Palau!

UNWTO’s Member States unanimously welcomed Palau as a full Member at the General Assembly. The Pacific nation is made up of 240 islands and is committed to growing its tourism sector in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Morocco to Host 24th General Assembly

In St Petersburg, UNWTO Member States voted for the Kingdom of Morocco to hold the 24th Session of the General Assembly in 2021. For the first time at a UNWTO General Assembly, Member States used electronic voting system, bringing UNWTO in line with the wider United Nations system. Morocco was chosen ahead of Kenya and the Philippines after all three Member States had put forward strong cases for hosting the most important high-level event in global tourism. Congratulations, Morocco, and see you in Marrakech!

In Conservation With Pansy Ho

The Secretary General of the Global Tourism Economy Forum shares her views on the future of the sector and how it can become more sustainable

Meet the UNWTO Affiliate Members

UNTWO’s Affiliate Members transform policy into action, and lead the way in disruption and innovation. Here, a new addition to the global Affiliate Member network, Positium from Estonia, discuss why they joined and how they are already helping Member States better manage their tourism sectors.

General Assembly Celebrates the Synergy of Film and Tourism

Running right through the 23rd General Assembly in St Petersburg has been the topic of film and tourism. At the start of the Assembly, Spanish entrepreneur and President of Atlético de Madrid football cub Enrique Cerezo joined fellow experts to discuss the film industry’s close links with tourism and its shared values and benefits, including bringing people together and creating jobs and opportunities for all. Building on this, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili will take part in Cineposium, a leading international event around the world of cinema and visual production taking place back to back to the General Assembly.

Celebrating the role of film in promoting destinations and sustainable tourism, the General Assembly also saw the awarding of the first prize for “Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism” during the Video Competition of the General Assembly. Chile won the new award, with the jury of leading journalists and media professionals applauding their clear demonstration of how tourism can help preserve traditional ways of life. Awards for Outstanding Country Promotional Videos were presented to: Tunisia, Mexico, India, Greece and Portugal, and Egypt.

Member States Back Jamaican Call to Support Crisis-Hit Countries

Spanish Tourism Leader Named New Affiliates Member Board Chair

Ana Larrañaga has been confirmed as the new Chair of the Board of UNWTO Affiliate Members. The first female Chair, Ms Larrañaga is the Director of FITUR (the International Tourism Fair) in Spain, and a long-standing partner of UNWTO. She accepted the position at the General Assembly at the General Assembly and was congratulated by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili

Members Pledge More Support to Nations in Crisis

Member States backed Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett as he called for more support for countries hit by natural and man-made disasters. UNWTO is working with Member States to help them recover from crises, and the UNWTO Communications Department is set to launch a new emergency comms training programme soon.

UNWTO and TUI Partner to Support Egyptian Tourism Start-Ups

A new partnership between UNWTO and the TUI Care Foundation will foster entrepreneurship and support Egypt’s young innovators transform their country’s tourism sector. It will provide solutions to challenges including a lack of finance and access to expertise, while also offering services that can help start-ups invest in new technology and scale up their businesses.

The General Assembly in Numbers

1,300+ participants
117 countries represented
66 Ministers of Tourism
10 key points in the 2030 Agenda for Africa
14 days to go until World Tourism Day!

Morocco hosts lunch in support of bid for 24th UNWTO General Assembly

General Assembly Gallery

View, download and share the latest images from the UNWTO General Assembly here

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