Assembly Daily 02 | General Assembly Special Edition

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1 Dec 21

- Assembly Daily |General Assembly Special Edition -

24^th General Assembly officially opens

The 24^th session of the UNWTO General Assembly opens today with over 1,000 representatives meeting in the Spanish Capital of Madrid to chart a new path for an accelerated safe tourism recovery. The all-important meeting is expected to launch new initiatives which will be inclusive in the quest to save livelihoods. Amongst the initiatives to be launched are the Digital Futures Programme for SMEs, designed to help small tourism businesses take advantage of the benefits of innovation.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili will present his report to the Members, outlining how the Organization has led the global tourism response to the unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19, in particular by providing vital support for jobs and businesses and ensuring harmonized standards and protocols to restore confidence in travel.

King of Spain Hosts Tourism Leaders at Gala Dinner

Ahead of the official opening of the 24^th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly, the King of Spain Felipe IV welcomed Ministers and heads of delegation at a gala dinner at the Madrid City Hall. Addressing guests, His Majesty said that the Royal House was happy to lend its support to the activities of UNWTO as it strives to get tourism moving again. The Secretary General highlighted the remarkable backing of the Kingdom and Government of Spain and said UNWTO had a strong ally in the country.

43^rd UNWTO Affiliate Members Session kickstart activities at General Assembly

This Plenary Session of UNWTO Members reviewed the work done in the past year. It also presented the Programme of Work of the Affiliate Members Department for 2022, which has benefitted from valuable contributions . Its principal mission is to foster synergies among Affiliate Members and Member States and to promote the exchange of knowledge among key stakeholders with the objective of contributing to the promotion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

A Glance at Today’s Activities

With the activities of the 43^rd Affiliate Members meeting kickstarting events at the 24^th general assembly, the GA Daily brings you highlights of today’s activities. During the plenary session after the official opening, the Secretary-General UNWTO Zurab Pololikashvili will present his report detailing his stewardship of the Organization over the last two years.

Secretary- General confers with Tourism Ministers

As Tourism leaders arrive in Madrid for the 24^th session of the General Assembly, the Secretary General on the side-line of the events held bilateral meetings with Ministers of Tourism from Argentina, Morocco, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and Russia.

UNWTO General Assembly Gets Underway in Madrid

Tourism leaders from every global region have arrived in Madrid for the 24th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly. Ministers of Tourism will be joined by representatives of international organizations and from across the private sector for the first truly global tourism meeting to be held since the start of the pandemic, with innovation, education and investments high on the agenda.

In all, more than 1,000 participants, representing 135 countries and including 84 Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Tourism will attend the most important meeting of the United Nations specialized agency for tourism.

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UNWTO announces Jobs Factory Project to accelerate Tourism Recovery

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched the Jobs Factory, powered by Hosco, the global hospitality network. This innovative platform is designed to connect talent with employers across the sector, being the perfect solution for hospitality recruitment. The Jobs Factory harnesses Hosco’s power of machine learning, algorithms, and deep learning to match candidates with suitable positions, both locally and internationally. Jobseekers are able to create a profile, search for positions that match their experience and skills, and set up job alerts to be informed of the latest opportunities. The platform also helps tourism businesses and organizations to find and recruit the best talent.

Global Report on Cultural Affinity and Screen Tourism launched

A global report on cultural affinity and screen tourism has been launched in Madrid, Spain. The report explores the growing affection one has towards a particular country or culture displayed on the screen. The report was a partnership between UNWTO and Netflix which looks at the role of film and series as drivers for tourism and cultural affinity.