The Diplomat
The current secretary general of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, will run for re-election for a third consecutive term at the head of this organization for the period 2026-2029, sources close to him confirmed to The Diplomat in Spain.
Pololikashvili announced his candidacy when he returned from Beijing (China), where he participated in the Global Tourism Economic Forum (GTEF) and held a meeting with the Chinese Minister of Tourism and Culture.
In recent months, the secretary general of UN Tourism has carried out an intense agenda of business trips and meetings that has allowed him to gather numerous endorsements from different countries.
UN Tourism sources emphasize that his close leadership, his support for the sustainable and competitive development of destinations and the extension of the organization around the world with the opening of regional offices, in addition to his promotion of public-private collaboration in the sector, have earned him the support of numerous countries.
Pololikashvili took over as Secretary-General of UN Tourism (then UNWTO) on January 1, 2018 and renewed his mandate in 2022. His main challenge was to lead a strong recovery of global tourism after the COVID pandemic.
It was precisely in 2019 when the record for the highest number of tourists in history was achieved. Currently, 95% of that figure has been recovered. This recovery of the tourism sector was largely contributed to by the opening of China, one of the largest tourism markets worldwide.
The Executive Council of UN Tourism will meet between May 28 and 30, 2025. This meeting will result in the recommendation that the governing body of UN Tourism will take to the General Assembly to be held in November 2025 in Saudi Arabia.
