In a bid to drive the recovery of the tourism sector brought to its knees by the COVID 19 Pandemic, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is set to work alongside the Expedia Group to strengthen ties between the public and private sectors.
To this effect, the two parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see them collaborate on a range of topics, with the common goal of driving recovery and making the sector more resilient and sustainable.
The partnership between UNWTO and Expedia Group will see both parties share data on tourism trends and developments, both at the global and the local scale. This will help inform decision-making, producing data-based policies aimed a tourism’s sustainable recovery and future development.
UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili after a meeting with representatives of the Expedia Group in Brussels, highlighted UNWTO’s commitment to strengthening ties with the private sector. He further stressed that the Joint actions will focus on market intelligence and innovation with UNWTO and Expedia also working together to promote entrepreneurship and professional education, and in the field of consumer protection.
“From the very start of this crisis, UNWTO has been a strong advocate of close cooperation between the public and private sectors. This enhanced partnership will help improve our knowledge of global tourism trends, allowing us to respond to new challenges and guide tourism’s recovery. It will also help us place innovation and sustainability at the heart of this recovery, ensuring tourism emerges stronger than before,,” he said.
Recall that from the very start of this COVID 19 crisis, UNWTO has been a strong advocate of close cooperation between the public and private sectors in a bid to drive recovery.
This MoU is the latest effort by the United Nations Specialized Agency following a recent MoU with the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
