This will be the first global high-level United Nations event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic, the UNWTO said in a release.

Led by the Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, a delegation from UNWTO, recently visited the host country, Morocco, to discuss the programme, calendar and facilities to be prepared for this statutory meeting that will focus on Education and Youth, Rural Development and Digital Innovation.

The Minister of Tourism of Morocco, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and her team accompanied the delegation during the three-day visit and expressed their commitment to organizing a “historic” General Assembly to showcase the importance of restarting international tourism in a safe and more sustainable way.

Image source: UNWTO/Facebook

Prime Minister of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita welcomed the UNWTO Secretary-General in Rabat highlighting the importance of the celebration and the high-level support of the host country.

The delegation was also received by the Governor of Marrakesh-Safi region, Karim Kassi Lahlou, and other local authorities and representatives of the private sector of the area who will be strongly involved in the preparations for this meeting.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili thanked the Prime Minister and his government for their “hard work” to ensure that the Assembly will be a success on the back of the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, “Tourism is adapting to the new reality and we face the future with optimism and with the backing of our members.”