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‘Invest in tourism for peace’: UN Tourism Unites Ministers Around Shared Vision at ITB Berlin
As
it celebrates its 50th year, the United Nations specialized agency is
reaffirming its founding vision of tourism for peace and security whilst also
looking ahead to a more resilient and inclusive sector underscored by
investments and innovation. At Messe Berlin, a UN Tourism Affiliate Member, UN
Tourism again served as the bridge between public and private leaders and for
the first time hosted a high-level summit featuring Ministers of Tourism from
23 countries.
Officially
opening ITB Berlin 2025, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili
said: “As we have in Berlin and in many other parts of the world, when people
can travel freely and when everyone can benefit from tourism, they are more
likely to back peaceful resolutions and work together. And peace and security
allow us to achieve our vision for the future. Our focus on education,
innovation, and investment is ensuring that tourism is not only a driver of
economic growth but also a vehicle for empowerment and sustainability.”
Secretary-General
Pololikashvili also congratulated His Excellency Edi Rama, Prime Minister of
Albania, for overseeing his country’s remarkable growth as a destination.
Albania, the host country of ITB Berlin 2025, was the top-performing country in
Europe in 2024 in terms of increase in arrivals since before the start of the
pandemic. It also hosted UN Tourism’s Regional Commission for Europe in 2024
and is a leading destination in tourism investments, as highlighted in the
newly-updated UN Tourism Investment Guidelines for the country.
Landmark
first Ministers Summit focuses on investment and peace
In
Berlin, UN Tourism and ITB celebrated a landmark first with a High-Level
Ministerial Discussion on “Enhancing Investment, Ensuring Peace: Harnessing
Growth, Shaping the Future.” Joining Ministers of Tourism and high-level
representatives of 23 countries were Julia Simpson President and CEO of the
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), from the UN Tourism’s global Affiliate
Members Network, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), and,
the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The
leaders focused on the vital need for peace and security to attract
investments, on the importance of public-private partnerships, and on good
governance to ensure that investments deliver benefits for the sector as well
as for host communities, showcasing good practice from destinations worldwide.
During
ITB Berlin, the UN Tourism leadership seized the chance to hold high-level
meetings with several of its Member States. In Berlin, bilateral meetings were
held with Ministers or other top representatives of Armenia, Cambodia Croatia,
Indonesia, Poland, Montenegro and Venezuela.
Image
Credit: © UN Tourism
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