Results of the 57th UNWTO Affiliate Members Meeting at WTM

10-11-22

Yesterday, 9 November, at the headquarters of TripAdvisor (Affiliate Member), the Affiliate Members meeting was held where the Chairperson of the Board, Ms. Mar de Miguel, accompanied by the Director of the UNWTO Affiliate Members Department, Mr. Ion Vilcu, and the Head of UNWTO Member Relations, Mr. Beka Jakeli, briefed the Board members on the latest developments and activities of the Affiliate Members.

On this occasion, the AMD department presented a summary of the activities of the first six months of the year, which will soon be available.

The Chairperson of the Board then summarised the report on the participation of Board representatives during UNWTO statutory meetings, and other thematic events.

Another important item on the agenda was the presentation by the Director of the Affiliate Members Department on the WSA Work Programme 2023 and beyond. Board Members are strongly encouraged to submit proposals and initiatives to be carried out in 2023 for inclusion in the Work Programme, as the deadline for submitting proposals is 15 November 2022. 

The Board meeting provided an ideal institutional framework for the exchange of ideas and debate among its members, as well as to identify and promote new issues relevant to the joint effort of UNWTO and its affiliates to re-launch tourism. It is also a suitable framework to identify proposals and initiatives that can be promoted for the attention and consideration of the governments and local administrations that make up the membership.

During the meeting, proposals from IATA (accessibility and gender equality issues), JTB Corp. (sustainability issues) and Madrid Cultura y Turismo (public-private partnerships) were presented for discussion and further action.

To conclude the meeting, the Chair of the Board proposed Thursday 19 January 2023 in the framework of Fitur (Madrid, Spain) as the date and venue for the 58th Affiliate Members Board meeting, to which the Board members confirmed.