Tuesday, 19 January 2021, Madrid, Kingdom of Spain: The Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization – UNWTO held its 113th edition in Spain under the aegis of His Majesty King Felipe VI. During the plenary session wherein all member states partook either in person, or virtually, the incumbent Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili was re-elected for a second term (2022-2025).
For the inauguration King Felipe VI was accompanied by the President of the National Heritage Board of Directors, Llanos Castellanos; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov; the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida; the Secretary of State for Global Spain, Manuel Muñiz; the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés; and a plethora of delegations.
Zurab Pololikashvili (born at Tbilisi on 12 January 1977) is a Georgian national at the helm of the UNWTO since 1 January 2018. Previously he served as Georgia’s resident ambassador in Spain with co-accreditations to Andorra, Morocco and Algeria. Besides his native Georgian, he is fluent in four out of five official languages in the UNWTO, all except Arabic.
During his mandate as Secretary-General of UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili has advocated for tourism as a significant player in delivering sustainable solutions for people locally, the planet, prosperity and even for the attainment of more peace. Georgia’s chief of diplomacy, David Zalkaliani, was in Madrid to support SG Pololikashvili.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialised agency founded in 1974, entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
UNWTO’s membership includes 159 countries, six affiliated members (sub-countries), two observer states and over 500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain.
The official languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
For further information
UNWTO: https://www.unwto.org
Spanish Royal House: https://www.casareal.es/ES/Actividades/Paginas/actividades_actividades_detalle.aspx?data=14743
Picture by Casa Real – Spanish Royal Household
