UNWTO expectant of China's official reopening
25-02-23
The UNWTO has heralded China's reopening as "the final piece in the recovery of tourism" after the biggest crisis in the sector's history.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, leading a high-level delegation to the city of Hangzhou to participate in the official reopening, warmly welcomed the lifting of travel restrictions as a major boost to economic growth and social progress both in Asia-Pacific and worldwide. According to UNWTO data, the pandemic cost destinations around the world a total of $270 billion in Chinese outbound tourism spending in 2020 and 2021 alone. The reopening of the borders is therefore "the moment the world has been waiting for," Pololikashvili said.
The UNWTO secretary-general is the first leader of a UN agency to visit China since the restrictions were lifted. China's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hu Heping, thanked the UNWTO for its support throughout the pandemic and for joining the official reopening celebrations. In a bilateral meeting, Minister Hu Heping and Secretary-General Pololikashvili agreed to further deepen their collaboration on positioning tourism on the international development cooperation agenda and in the key areas of tourism education and tourism for rural development.