25th UNWTO General Assembly | Daily 01: Samarkand welcomes Tourism Leaders to 25th UNWTO General Assembly

Samarkand, the southeastern part of Uzbekistan and melting pots of culture is set for the 25th UNWTO General Assembly. The ”Crossroads of Cultures” will be hosting its first major UN Tourism event and this week be the beehive of activities as the tourism sector charts a new path to an accelerated recovery. Aside from the plenary sessions and many other engagements, the General Assembly will host two thematic forums -on education and on investments – in line with the Organization’s core priorities. The 25th UNWTO General Assembly is the key event for the future of tourism. Global leaders will gather to shape the way forward for a tourism sector that works for people and planet.

Splendid portals, vast coloured domes, and remarkable exterior decorations in majolica, mosaic, marble, and gold of the architectural heritage was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. Samarkand, in ancient times referred as Afrasiab, is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. The major monuments include the Registan Mosque and madrasas, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Shakhi-Zinda compound and the Gur-Emir ensemble, as well as Ulughbek’s Observatory. Being key connecting city on Silk Road between China, Persia and Europe, Samarkand is considered as a cradle for trade, culture and science.

“The UNWTO General Assembly gathers at a vital moment both for the tourism sector as well as for our societies. Tourism has weathered the biggest storm in its history, and we are now well on course to a return to pre-pandemic levels of international arrivals by the end of this year. At the same time, however, we must urgently face up to new challenges, most notably a mounting climate crisis, economic uncertainty and persisting geopolitical tensions. We can and must fulfil our duty to deliver on tourism’s potential as a source of sustainable development, opportunity, and understanding.I thank our generous hosts for their warm hospitality, and I look forward to a productive and inspiring General Assembly.”

“The leadership and Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan recognise tourism as a strategic sector of the national economy with significant potential for economic growth, improvement of people’s well-being, particularly local communities, and support for the most vulnerable ones. Committed to the further advancement of sustainable and green tourism, the country seeks to promote its tourism brand through infrastructure diversification, widening its tourism product, and enhancement of the quality of tourism services. The Government of Uzbekistan is pleased to welcome all stakeholders of the global tourism market, including tourism authorities, private sector, academia, and others, in the fabulous city of Samarkand. Samarkand, as a crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions, is the perfect venue for the world’s grand tourism event – the session of the UNWTO General Assembly. Symbolically, the 25th anniversary session will take place in Uzbekistan in the year of the 30th anniversary of the country’s accession to the World Tourism Organization. Uzbekistan has been, is, and will remain a UNWTO’s steadfast ally in promoting responsible, inclusive, and universally accessible tourism worldwide.

Welcome to Uzbekistan!”

We must harness the full potential of tourism to get back on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. That requires investing in sustainable and inclusive tourism – adopting zero emission pathways; protecting the environment and biodiversity; creating decent jobs; and contributing to resilient social protection systems.

I know that we can count on the UN World Tourism Organisation to carry this vision forward and together, build a better future, for people and planet. I wish you a successful General Assembly.

European tourism leaders will gather at it’s the 69th UNWTO Regional Commission meeting ahead of the opening of the General Assembly. The meeting which seeks to consolidate decisions of ist last meeting (Sofia, Bulgaria) offers the group the opportunity to put forward other pressing matters ahead of the the Assembly.

The 44th UNWTO Affiliate Members Plenary Session will usher in official activities at this year’s General Assembly. The plenary session is the most important governing structure of the Affiliate Members and will offer an opportune framework to debate on the state of the affiliate membership, analyze the evolution of the implementation of the Programme of Work and share information and proposals on future projects.

The Committee on Statistics will hold a high-level panel regarding a 360 data approach to empower tourism. This will be followed by conversations around UNWTO’s statistical programme of work, the Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) and the steps taken towards a harmonized ESG Framework for Tourism Businesses and findings from pilots.

The Programme and Budget Committee ensures UNWTO is ready to respond to the sector’s present and future challenges.