In light of the currently evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related worldwide restrictions of gatherings, the access to the venue of the session is limited to the Head of Delegation plus 2 persons.

Registration for the Assembly session will be carried out online until Monday, 22 November 2021. The participation form is available here.

The online registration platform will be collecting all necessary information regarding the participation in the conference, airport pick-up, visa information and technical visits.

Accreditation badges are issued to specific individuals and are not transferable. Participants should keep their badge and ID with them at all times during their stay in Madrid. The badge is the only document confirming a participant’s General Assembly accreditation that can be used to gain access to the venues of the different events.

Participants can collect their accreditation badges at the registration desk located in the Hotel Marriott Auditorium (venue of the event). The registration desk will be open starting Monday, 29 November.

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The Government of Spain will facilitate visa processing for delegates attending the 24th session  of the General Assembly, upon presentation of the letter of invitation to the Assembly at the  corresponding Spanish Embassy, in accordance with Spanish regulations.

Pursuant to European Union regulations, visas on arrival cannot be provided under any circumstances. Participants are kindly requested to make the necessary arrangements to process their visa in advance. For more information on visas, participants should contact the Spanish Embassy or Consulate responsible for their territory of residence.

The list of diplomatic and consular missions of Spain and their areas of responsibility can be consulted this website.

The list of countries whose nationals require a visa or are exempt from this requirement can be consulted this link.

For any visa inquiries, participants can contact: Ms. Shirin El Tayan, UNWTO Protocol Officer, e-mail: seltayan@unwto.org

Spain will make the necessary arrangements to facilitate the arrival, stay and departure of all the participants invited by the Organization. During their stay, the participants will enjoy the privileges and immunities conferred to delegates at events of the UNWTO in Spain, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations.

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Transfers

Local transportation of delegation members will be provided between the hotels and the meeting venue.

Discounts on flights

IBERIA Airlines is offering exclusive discounts of 10% for participants of the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly travelling to Spain between 23 November and 10 December 2021. The discount is also applied if requested upon booking, seat reservation and billing.

To book their flights, participants can visit the website: www.iberia.com and enter the code UNWTO21.

Tourism information

In Spain:
Tourism information for Spain

In Madrid:
Tourism in the Community of Madrid
Tourism in the city of Madrid

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The following hotels will offer special rates to delegates for a limited number of rooms.

Hotel Marriott Auditorium **** (meeting venue)

Link for online booking with special rates
Avenida de Aragón 400. 28022 Madrid
Tel.: +34 91 400 44 00

Hotel Meliá Castilla ****

Poeta Joan Maragall, 43. 28020 Madrid
Tel.: +34 91 567 50 77

Hotel Eurostars Madrid Tower *****

Paseo de la Castellana 259-B. 28046 Madrid.
Tel.: +34 91 334 27 00                  

Madrid Airport Suites Affiliated by Meliá ***

C. de Lola Flores, 4-17, 28022 Madrid
Tel.: +34 913 29 70 50
Contact e-mail: asier.varela@melia.com
Promo code: MEL-UNWTO

Hotel Madrid Chamartín Affiliated by Meliá ***

Calle Mauricio Ravel, 10, 28046 Madrid
Tel.: +34 917 33 34 00
Contact e-mail: miriam.ramiro@melia.com
Promo code: MEL-UNWTO

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Conditions of entry to Spain relative to health measures

The requirements for entry to Spain, according to country of origin, can be found here.

Climate neutrality

The UNWTO Secretariat is calculating its GHG emissions since 2009, and the Organization is climate-neutral since 2015 for its facilities and activities. The Secretary-General would like to encourage all GA participants to apply to offset mechanisms, notably those proposed by transport companies.

Working languages

The documents for the Assembly session will be available in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Simultaneous interpretation in these five languages plus Chinese will be provided at the plenary sessions.

Working documents

In compliance with the United Nations system’s environmental protection policy, please note that no hard copies of the working documents will be distributed at the venue of the event. Delegates are kindly requested to bring with them copies of the documents they need. The documents will be posted here. Delegates will also be notified by e-mail.

Assembly Daily

UN Tourism News – General Assembly Special Edition, is the official publication accompanying the UNWTO General Assembly, giving visibility to proceedings and key milestones.

Produced in English, it is featured prominently on www.unwto.org, it is also distributed electronically to Member States, Affiliate Members, partners and UNWTO’s global media database.

Given its status as a global reporting vehicle on the Assembly, this publication remains as a fixed feature for future reference on the UNWTO website.

Each of the four issues of the Daily will include a journalistic account of

• Key outcomes of the previous day’s meetings;
• Main decisions reached;
• Meetings and events to be held during the day of publication and key items of discussion;
• Interviews and statements with delegates and experts;
• A selection of pictures after each day and
• Link to the official site with audio-visual material of the Assembly and its numerous side events and meetings.

This publication represents a key partnership opportunity for Member States, Affiliate Members, and other partners. It strengthens the overall outreach of UNWTO and allows partners to gain international visibility among key tourism stakeholders, the media and the general public.

UNWTO will be filming proceedings and sharing via social media channels and that by being part of the General Assembly, delegates automatically give their consent to this.

For enquiries, please contact comm@unwto.org

In light of the currently evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related worldwide restrictions of gatherings, the access to the venue of the session is limited to the Head of Delegation plus 2 persons.

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The 24th session of the General Assembly will feature the 5th edition of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven the relevance of multimedia communications within the new reality. The ongoing shift towards digitalization, changing viewer and user habits and the consolidation of mobile-first strategies have all accelerated since the pandemic broke. In addition, destinations around the world are preparing to restart tourism committed to seizing tourism’s unmatched contribution to people and planet.

The competition will feature two categories:

• Exceptional Stories of Tourism Resilience: This category looks for remarkable examples which showcase the importance of the human aspect of tourism as a sector and with a positive social impact that generates optimism and opportunities for all.
• Tourism Promotion and the Decade of Action. This category looks for remarkable examples of how Member Countries are linking their promotional videos either directly or indirectly to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through references to one or several of the 17 Global Goals.

One winning video will be chosen per region for both categories. This is an opportunity to position tourism as a key recovery sector to grow back better, stronger and building resilience.

Member States are encouraged to submit videos for both categories. Affiliate Members are encouraged to submit videos for the “Exceptional Stories of Sustainable Tourism” category.

The winners of the 5th edition of the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition will be announced during the 24th session of the General Assembly.

Exceptional Stories of Tourism Resilience

Tourism Promotion and the Decade of Action

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The 43rd UNWTO Affiliate Members Plenary Session will take place on 30 November  in Madrid as the first official activity of the General Assembly. The Plenary Session is the most important governing structure of the Affiliate Members and offers them an ideal setting to share initiatives and debate on the annual Programme of Work.

This year, the Affiliate Members Plenary Session will be held in the framework of the General Assembly, which provides the Affiliate Members with the opportunity to participate in the sessions of the General Assembly and other relevant events and activities, contribute to the UNWTO Programme of Work along with the Member States, hold bilateral meetings with high-level public sector representatives in order to discuss public-private cooperation issues, and be updated on the UNWTO’s overall activity.

On this occasion, the agenda of the Affiliate Members Plenary Session will focus on the following priority topics:

• Joint Affiliate Member actions for tourism recovery;
• Review of the Programme of Work 2021 and proposals for the Programme of Work for 2022-2023; and
• Approval of the revised Legal Framework of Affiliate Membership.

In addition, the 43rd Plenary Session will take place prior to the election of the new Board of the Affiliate Members. Therefore, the Affiliate Members who will be presenting their candidatures will have an ideal opportunity to network and promote their candidatures a few days before the voting phase.

For further information, please contact the Affiliate Members Department: am@unwto.org

Related links: AM Corner “We are Affiliate Members”

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