Visa facilitation and air connectivity priorities for the UNWTO says Executive Council

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai recalled that having the G20 Leaders committing to work on travel facilitation initiatives during their last meeting in Los Cabos was a seminal achievement while underscoring that visa processes are still an important obstacle to the growth of the tourism sector. “Thanks to our joint efforts, the issue of visa facilitation has been placed firmly on the table. But much remains to be done to make our goal of removing unnecessary barriers to travel a reality”, he said.

Council Members agreed that air connectivity is also a central hindrance to a stronger tourism growth and called upon UNWTO to strengthen ties with public and private sector players in the transport industry.

The Council further expressed its support to the Larrakia Declaration on Indigenous Tourism and the San Diego Declaration on Youth, Student and Education Travel.

Note to editors:

<p style="\\"text-align:" justify;\\"=""> The Executive Council is UNWTO’s governing board, responsible for ensuring that the Organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget. The Council meets at least twice a year and is composed by Members elected by the General Assembly in a ratio of one for every ‎five Full Members.