Zorista Urosevic, UNWTO Executive Director Gives Video Speech at the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development 2022

Zorista Urosevic, UNWTO Executive Director

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests,

It is a great pleasure to greet you today. This event shows the strength of the partnership between UNWTO and the World Tourism Cities Federation. As we restart and rethink tourism, such partnerships are more important than ever. UNWTO and WTCF have signed two MOUs, agreeing to work together to develop tourism in cities.

And last year, we were proud to be part of the Agenda for the Future Development of World Tourism Cities. Now, under the theme "Deepening Cooperation and Innovation for Development", this conference provides a platform to exchange ideas. Already, many cities are thinking big. They recognize the vital role tourism will play in helping them recover from the pandemic of the impacts. They are also making tourism a pillar of social inclusion, cultural exchange, and the protection of heritage.

I commend all those leading the way. Cities should also continue working on strengthening governance models. Every part of tourism, national, local, and regional government, as well as the private sector and local communities, have an important role to play. Only by innovating, sharing knowledge and creating lasting solutions, can tourism in cities become more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient. In this context, I invite all mayors to join us next year in Madrid in 2023 for the UNWTO Mayors Forum on Sustainable Urban Tourism.

I wish this conference every success.