Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization today laid out plans for strengthening the organization to respond to the growth of the sector, the challenging external conditions and the role of the organization within the United Nations family. The Secretary-General announced that he would broaden the policy direction currently exercised by himself, with the support of Deputy Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, to include new Assistant Secretaries General. One focusing on external relations will be filled immediately and the other on policy cohesion will be filled at the […]

UNWTO shares the concerns of the world community, about the situation in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories, commiserates with grieving families and hopes for a speedy stabilization of the situation. The Middle East has been the fastest growing region for tourism during the past decade and this sector has become a vital part of the socio-economic fabric of the region as well as an important component for the livelihoods of its people. While International tourist arrivals worldwide grew at an annual average of 4%, the average […]