Zurab Pololikashvili showed up at the traditional holiday party on Friday – and the rest is worth a story leaving 100+ staffers in suspense.
On Friday the 100+ UNWTO employees and politically appointed directors gathered for their traditional and annual holiday party lunch in Madrid. All directors, the outgoing Secretary General and the rest of the 100+ staff many with their spouses attended and were anxious to hear about what’s next for the UN special agency and how changes would affect their jobs.

The lunch was also a farewell to Taleb Rifai from Jordan, who had steered the organization with a heart, talent and success like never seen before over the last eight years.

In less than two weeks on January 1, 2018,  the new UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia will be in the driver seat for world tourism, and this is becoming an uncomfortable reality for many these days.

Friday was a last chance for Zurab Pololikashvili to put his future staff at ease and to say a word of thanks to Taleb Rifai, his future predecessor. After all, without Rifai’s support for Zurab the outcome at the recent election for SG could have been very different. Without a doubt, Zurab Pololikashvili has a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Taleb Rifai.

Zurab Pololikashvili has not been attending many meetings or events after his confirmation in September, so hopes were high on Friday when the new boss showed up for the party. There are so many questions, about Zurab’s plans are for the new UNWTO. Many of the staff were anxious to learn about any changes in leadership or wanted to be put at ease about their own future role.
“You can see the sign of relieve on many faces when Zurab was spotted”, someone attending the lunch told eTN.

Everyone was ready to hear Secretary General-Elect Zurab Pololikashvili speak, but instead, he got up early and left quietly without saying a word. No thank you to Taleb Rifai, no happy holidays to the staff, and no word on what his plans are for 2018.