UNWTO outlines common objectives for tourism in Paraguay

27-07-22

The President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, this week thanked UNWTO for its support in the country's effort to make tourism a central pillar of economic growth and social progress.

Leading an official UNWTO delegation to Paraguay, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met with President Abdo Benítez to discuss the main challenges and opportunities for tourism in Paraguay and identify ways of collaboration to help the sector grow in both volume and relevance. Paraguay currently chairs the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas and is a member of its Executive Council. This active role in UNWTO's mission underlines the Government's commitment to position the country as one of the leading tourism destinations in the region and to make the sector an engine for sustainable development.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili noted that Paraguay is already "on the world map as a destination", and that by working together, UNWTO and the Government can "make this beautiful country better known and make tourism a priority for job creation and economic growth opportunities".

At the opening of a special session on renewable energy and sustainable tourism, held in the framework of the UNWTO visit, President Mario Abdo Benítez, said: "The task of the national Government is to promote the destination Paraguay as part of our strategy to generate income, strengthen our culture and offer opportunities to a large number of young people who, as the UNWTO Secretary-General said, have the potential to become the main asset of tourism".

In addition to meeting with the President, the UNWTO delegation also met with the Minister of Tourism of Paraguay, Sofia Montiel de Afara, with the National Tourism Advisory Council of Paraguay, as well as with representatives of the World Bank and the entire private sector. The presence of high-level representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Industry and Trade, and Education and Science underlined the cross-cutting importance of tourism for Paraguay and the region in general. The Minister of Tourism expressed her desire to build on her ministry's work with UNWTO and develop a new set of capacity building initiatives that will help tourism move beyond the pandemic and towards a more resilient future.

Youth empowerment and rural development

Secretary General Pololikashvili, noting that youth is another UNWTO priority, as evidenced by the recent holding of the World Youth Summit on Tourism, also met with young tourism leaders and advocates from across the country to hear their views on the future of the sector and to ensure that they are part of the decision-making process. The UNWTO delegation also visited the historic community of San Cosme y San Damián, selected as one of the "Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO" in 2021 in recognition of its importance in preserving the country's unique cultural heritage and as an engine for rural development.