In the first of its kind for Southeast Europe, UNWTO managed to gather tourism ministers from the area. The organization showed delight towards “FESTA (Future of Environmental Sustainable Tourism in Albania).” It established the foundation for result-oriented partnerships among the region’s tourism ministers.
The UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, organised the first conference of South East European tourist ministers. Ministers from 8 nations participated in the conference including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. They had discussions around prospects regarding how to collaborate better for regional projects. Participants discussed strategies for setting up annual gatherings of ministers and state secretaries to foster better local cooperation for the region’s tourism industry.
People and money should be the two primary concerns. Without the right people or the right investments, ambitions for a reformed tourism industry will not be realised.
The UNWTO collaborated with the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment to host the three-day conference. It gathered the best of private and public sectors to focus on the difficulties and opportunities of sustainable tourism. Zurab Pololikashvili inaugurated the meeting and highlighted the excellent progress tourism has achieved in becoming more sustainable. He also emphasised the need for more action in this regard.