UNWTO REGIONAL MEETING “ROAD TO RECOVERY” WAS HELD

On June 1, 2020, a high-level regional meeting, “Road to Recovery,” took place in a video conference format. The event was organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The regional meeting was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, heads of national tourism administrations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republiс of Moldova, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Turkmen side was attended by the Minister of Culture of Turkmenistan.

The meeting was held with the aim of creating a platform for discussing the best possible ways to combat the virus, as well as for working together to resume tourism activities, in the safest and most effective way, while ensuring maximum cooperation and coordination between all interested parties, both at the national and the regional levels.

This high-level event was held in two panel discussions. During the first session, measures to support the travel and tourism sector and mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 were discussed. The second discussion focused on best practices and effective strategies for recovery. An exchange of views on best practices took place, as well as ongoing measures for an effective policy to overcome the crisis. Recommendations developed by UNWTO were voiced. The participants were also presented with the best practices of the participating countries.