The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, yesterday held a meeting with the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, whom he informed about the future relocation of the organization’s headquarters in Madrid.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the only specialized agency of the United Nations that has had its headquarters in Spain, specifically in Madrid, since its creation in 1976. Its main mission is to promote responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism for all.
As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release, Albares informed Pololikashvili about the future transfer of the organization’s headquarters to the former Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones del Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, as agreed in 2019. The rehabilitation project of the building is being completed and the works are expected to start soon, explained the minister, who invited the secretary general to visit the building that will house the headquarters of the organization.
The Palacio de Congresos, located on Paseo de la Castellana in front of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and known for the ceramic mural on its frontispiece designed by Joan Miró, has a surface area of almost 40,000 square meters. It has been closed since December 2012, when a technical report concluded that it did not comply with current safety regulations. When it is remodeled, it will house the facilities of the World Tourism Organization, currently on Capitán Haya Street.
This will give more visibility to the main international institution of the United Nations in the field of tourism. The UNWTO is made up of 159 Member States, six Associate Members and more than 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
In January 2019, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced during the inauguration of the FITUR fair that the Executive could make available to the World Tourism Organization a space in the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid to give “a boost for congress and business tourism”. Sánchez reiterated this commitment last January, during the meeting of the UNWTO Executive Council at which Zurab Pololikashvili was re-elected for a new four-year term. The Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespaña) has commissioned the state-owned company Ineco to carry out the remodeling and expansion project of the Palacio de Congresos.
