The Diplomat
The recovery of the world tourism sector in 2023 and the good prospects for 2024 were the focus of the meeting held yesterday between the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation, Zurab Pololikashvili, and the Spanish Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, at the Ministry’s headquarters.
“We discussed the recovery of world tourism in 2023, and the good prospects for this year,” the minister tweeted on his X account. Hereu added that “we are moving together towards social and sustainable tourism, digitised and with greater added value”.
The UNWTO reported on its website that “during the meeting, the sector’s priorities for this year were also analysed, challenges shared by both entities, which are, among others: innovation and education, as well as social and environmental sustainability. In short, tourism for development centred on people, the planet and prosperity”.
During the meeting, the Spanish Minister also informed Zurab Pololikashvili of the progress of the construction work on the future UNWTO headquarters at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Madrid. The new building, which will replace the current one in Calle Poeta Joan Maragall, will have an exhibition hall and three floors that will house the offices and other services.
This meeting comes just a few weeks before FITUR, a key meeting point, especially for the Spanish and Latin American tourism sector. This year’s FITUR will bring together representatives from 160 countries from all over the world.
