Georgian Zurab Pololikashvili has been re-elected Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) with 85 votes in favour, 26 against, for a second term from 2022 to 2025.
The decision was made yesterday at the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Madrid, Spain.
Pololikashvili was nominated for the position by the Executive Council of the UNWTO in January.
Addressing the UNWTO assembly, Pololikashvili focused on how to help tourism recover quickly ‘as the most affected sector’ due to the pandemic, and named agricultural tourism and regional development as the top priorities.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava stated that Georgia’s membership in the UNWTO is ‘very important,’ that it is a ‘vital field’ for the country, emphasising that ‘we are especially honoured that Georgian Zurab Pololikashvili has gained such a high level of trust.’
This, of course, is a strong guarantee for our country that our voice will always be heard in this organization,” Turnava said.
Pololikashvili first became the UNWTO Secretary General in May of 2017 prior to which he held the positions of Georgian Economic Minister and Ambassador of Georgia to Spain.
The UNWTO is the United Nations agency ‘responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism’, established in 1975 and uniting 159 Member States as of today.
agenda.ge