(TAN): UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili is wrapping up an official visit (July 1-4) to Italy to learn more of the country’s plans for the steady and sustainable restart of the tourism sector, whichis a major employer and helps preserve the country’s unique cultural heritage.
The closure of tourism operations for several months has had a devastating effect on many businesses and millions of livelihoods across the world. To kickstart recovery, countries within the Schengen Zone (26 countries in Europe) are now reopening their borders to tourists.
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“Strong domestic leadership and a commitment to cooperating across borders are imperative for the responsible return of tourism and the many benefits it offers, both within the Schengen Zone and worldwide. UNWTO is leading the restart of tourism, and Italy has demonstrated its commitment to harnessing the power of the sector to drive wider societal recovery,” Pololikashvili said.
Pololikashvili commended the Italian Government on their efforts to revive tourism and promised his continued support to make sure that all tourism related activities can gradually restart. He also presented the resources that UNWTO has developed to help guide tourism’s restart, including the Recommendations for Recovery, a roadmap for both governments and the private sector.
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This is the first official trip undertaken by UNWTO since restrictions on travel were introduced in response to the pandemic. During the lockdown phase, the United Nations specialized agency has been working closely with its Member States and the private sector to mitigate the impact on jobs and economies while also preparing for tourism’s restart.
