With the conviction of this headline, Dr. Taleb Rifai, current UNWTO Secretary General, shared his thoughts at the opening of the UN World Tourism Organization General Assembly.

Despite the challenges that our sector has been facing in recent years, we are more committed than ever to work closer together to make it a pillar of a better future for people and planet.

The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development that we are celebrating globally throughout 2017 has provided us with the platform to reinforce this consensus, which is so important for us to position the tourism sector in the global agenda.

We know that it has not been an easy path. Safety and security challenges and issues arising from the impact of technology and transformative business models add to the pressing need to make our sector more competitive and sustainable. But in the face of those, a stronger, more responsible and more united tourism community has emerged.

We are more determined than ever to maximize the benefits that tourism brings to our societies,
not only as a driver of economic development and peace, but also for its impact on the environment and on cultural preservation. We also see that, more and more, governments and administrations across the world are prioritizing tourism to transform their countries for the better. In the days to come we will be discussing the priorities and work plan of our Organization to ensure that tourism can effectively be a force for good amidst the challenges ahead.

We wish you a fruitful and intense week!