The World Tourism Organization is working to improve relations with the European Union

According to Heritage Arya, the Slovenian President of the Council of the European Union has included tourism in his work agenda and stressed the importance of this part of the industry for the comprehensive and post-epidemic corona recovery. Addressing the ministers, Zurab Polulikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, thanked European leaders for protecting tourism businesses and playing a leading role in restoring trust in international travel through harmonized EU rules and protocols and introducing the EU digital health certificate.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization presented to all EU ministers an overview of his activities in response to the crisis, as well as recent achievements in promoting tourism climate action. Margaritis Chinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, played an active role in the UNWTO Global Tourism Crisis Committee, which was created to unite the various sectors and provide clear and coordinated recommendations for improvement in related work. He also met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid.

These recent meetings further strengthen the relationship between the UNWTO and European institutions and are based on coordinated pre-coronation programs. In February 2020, UNWTO officials visited Brussels, and in addition to addressing the European Parliament, the Secretary-General also met with European Tourism Foreign Ministers to discuss the role of the sector in promoting inclusive growth throughout the region and in promoting green European interactions. , He expressed. The UNWTO returned to Brussels in October to announce a new agenda, focusing more deeply on tourism and improving the future of European economies and communities.

Following the informal meeting of EU Tourism Ministers, the UNWTO also participated in the 20th European Tourism Forum, co-chaired by Slovenia, which will be part of the forthcoming UNWTO General Assembly, which is scheduled to Held from November 30 to December 3 in Madrid, Spain.

* Translation: Babak Sufiani