Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani has participated in a meeting of the UN’s World Tourism Organization (WTO) Crisis Committee in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
Also at present at the meeting were Tourism Ministers and officials representing over 30 countries, as well as members of the UNWTO’s Executive Council. Omar Selim, Egypt’s Ambassador in Madrid, and a number of representatives from Egyptian Embassy in Madrid also attended.
This meeting comes as part of the 113th session of the UNWTO’s Executive Council, the opening session of which will be held in Madrid on Wednesday, in the presence of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The committee’s meeting began with a word of welcome from UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism Affairs Fernando Valdes Verelst, and Madrid Mayor of Madrid Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida.
Many issues related to precautionary measures and the necessary steps to be taken against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were discussed to move forward with plans to resume tourism.
The discussions took place in light of the developments relating to the global pandemic, and ways of coexisting with it. Other points of discussion were the putting forward of hygiene safety protocols for the resumption of tourism activities, which is still suffering as a result of the crisis.
The Spanish side invited the participating countries to attend the FITUR: International Tourism Trade Fair exhibition, with this year’s event set to be held in May in Madrid.
The main issues on the agenda in the UNWTO Executive Council’s 113th session are the discussion of how vaccines against COVID-19 can be part of a coordinated approach to the resumption of tourism.
The session will also call on members to join efforts for a global campaign aimed at restoring confidence in tourism and travel.
Representatives for the council’s members will be informed of the latest developments regarding the implementation of the UNWTO’s programme of work and plans for 2021.
The two proposed slogans for the 2022 World Tourism Day celebrations will be discussed, which is a “new perspective for tourism” and the slogan for 2023, which is “tourism and green investment”.
The Executive Council’s meeting will also include electing the UNWTO’s new Secretary-General for the period 2022-2025.
