Ahead of the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO in October 2021, the first global high-level United Nations event to be held since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a meeting with the Kingdom of Morocco, the host country has taken place.
UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili led the delegation to Morocco to discuss the programme, calendar, and facilities to be prepared for this statutory meeting that will focus on Education and Youth, Rural Development and Digital Innovation.
He expressed optimism that ‘Tourism is adapting to the new reality and we face the future with optimism and with the backing of our Members’.
Receiving the UN specialized tourism agency delegation, the Minister of Tourism of Morocco, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and her team accompanied the delegation during the three-day visit and expressed their commitment to organizing a “historic” General Assembly to showcase the importance of restarting international tourism in a safe and more sustainable way.
On his part, the Prime Minister of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita welcomed the UNWTO Secretary-General in Rabat highlighting the importance of the celebration and the high-level support of the host country. The delegation was also received by the Governor of Marrakesh-Safi region, Karim Kassi Lahlou, and other local authorities and representatives of the private sector of the area that will be strongly involved in the preparations for this meeting.
Pololikashvili thanked the Prime Minister and his government for their “hard work” to ensure that the Assembly will be a success on the back of the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic.