UNWTO joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Spain in the recent meeting on Safe International Travel held in Ibiza on 7-8 July. The High-Level Meeting focused on the lessons learned from the impact of the pandemic on international mobility and tourism, to build resilience to face future crises.
“The progress during these past two years, alongside increased coordination among governments, have prompted the basis for a strong recovery,” said Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili. Underscoring that vaccine equity remains a big challenge, he stressed that implementing what we have learned is critical for how we deal with future pandemics, as we work to consolidating how we grow back better.
Participants recognised that the recovery of cross-border travel requires easing and lifting COVID-related travel restrictions as far as possible, while ensuring public health considerations Chaired by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain, Reyes Maroto, the meeting gathered health and the tourism sector representatives of over 30 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other UN agencies such as the International Organizational for Migration (IMO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
On the occasion, UNWTO and OECD released an impact assessment of the pandemic on tourism showcasing how the sector was among the most affected.
