June 13, 2018 - The United Nations World Tourism Organization will, between 2018 and 2019, aim its focus on five main points for development, which are innovation and digital transformation, investment and entrepreneurship, education and employment, travel safety and social, cultural and environmental sustainability.
In order to adequately address new challenges and trends in tourism, while improving the business environment for this sector at the same time, the World Tourism Organization will pay particular attention to strengthening innovation and digitalization of this sector, which will lead to the creation of new business opportunities, increased investment in tourism, increased competitiveness and sector sustainability in general.
These main goals were concluded at the 63rd session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Commission for Europe, which was held in Prague from June 11-13, 2018. At this event, Zurab Pololikasvili, the organization’s Secretary General, had the opportunity to address the participants with an opening speech. Also, the Minister of Regional Development, Karla Slechtova shared the same opportunity. The meeting was attended by representatives of 32 European countries, as well as the representatives of the private sector and the academic community.
The current board of directors of the European Commission of United Nations World Tourism Organization is made of representatives from Croatia, Lithuania, and Bulgaria. Montenegro, which is a co-director partner of Committee of Tourism and Sustainability in United Nations, was represented at this very event by Milena Mijajlovic, head of the cabinet in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro.
During the meeting, Secretary General Zurab Pololikasvili gained the support of the member countries of the European region for priorities that will define the work of the organization in the following period. Two weeks ago, at the meeting of the Executive Council, these priorities were adopted as a part of a new structure of United Nations World Tourism Organization.
In this session, there were 11 different points and most of the discussion and analysis raised issues of human capital development, encouraging innovation in tourism, and better positioning of tourism in national, regional and international structures.
Within the event, a presentation and a strategic discussion of the topic “Stimulating innovation ecosystems and digitalization of tourism” was held, which took into an account how to make the European tourist industry more competitive through digital tools and by strengthening of the digital skills.
