Tuesday, May 21, 2024 UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili advocates for a powerful, people-focused reform in travel recovery, highlighting significant progress and emerging challenges. In a recent collaboration, the United Nations Tourism organization teamed up with the World Economic Forum to release the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index. This report highlights the crucial role of tourism in bolstering economies worldwide, both developed and developing, emphasizing how quickly the sector has bounced back from the pandemic’s setbacks.
Additionally, the Index points out emerging challenges such as issues with air connectivity, labor shortages, and the inconsistent integration of technology and innovation. On the occasion of the launch, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “As we move forward, I renew my call to ensure that communities be put at the center of tourism development everywhere. We have a responsibility to make tourism jobs valued and decent jobs and that we make tourism an opportunity for a better future for everyone, women and global youth especially.
” Coinciding with the publication of this Index, the UN Tourism unveiled its newest World Tourism Barometer. According to the latest figures, international tourism in the first quarter of 2024 achieved 97% of its pre-pandemic activity. The period between January and March saw over 285 million international travelers, marking a 20% rise from the year before.
Forecasts indi.
