Zurab Pololikashvili, yesterday in the Foro España Internacional.
Alberto Rubio. 11/01/2018
“The creation of quality employment will be the result of the innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability policies” that the new secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, wants to set in motion during his mandate.
In his first public appearance, after taking up his position on 1 January, Pololikashvili emphasized that the main aspects of his policy will be sustainability, technology, security and employment. For that, he intends to involve all the sectors relating to tourism “from ministries to companies”.
As he remembered, in his New Year’s message he already revealed that his objective is “not to leave anybody behind” in this new stage opening for the UNWTO. Therefore, he intends to reach agreements to promote investments in infrastructures, to get the support of companies for the application of the new technologies and to face the challenge of the climate change with innovative proposals.
Before an audience made up mostly of ambassadors and businesspeople, Pololikashvili explained the fundamental points of his programme, in which he also considers the improvement of the relationship with the associate members of the UNWTO and the promotion of security in everything relating to tourism. The final objective, according to Pololikashvili, is to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and to improve the quality of life of many people all over the world using the tool of tourism.
Facing the recurrent question on the fall in tourist reservations in Catalonia by more than 15%, according to data of Exceltur, the new secretary general of the UNWTO expressed his confidence in tourism in the region “growing again and still being an important economic force for Spain”. This was subsequently confirmed by the Spanish Minister of Energy, Álvaro Nadal, when asked about the words pronounced by Pololikashvili: “tourism in Catalonia starts showing symptoms of recovery”.
