21st UNWTO General Assembly kicks off in Medellin, Colombia

The 21st UNWTO General Assembly kicked off last night with a celebration of Colombia’s diverse gastronomic and musical richness.

In his opening speech, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai highlighted that Colombia and Medellin are an example of the Assembly’s theme “Tourism: Fostering inclusive development and social transformation”:

“Tourism can and should be at the service of peace, and Colombia has seen firsthand how our sector can be an instrument of social transformation and national building. It is because of this extraordinary journey that we have gathered here in the vibrant city of Medellin, and I look forward to continue our joint efforts to turn tourism into a global force for good in the coming days.”

Cecilia Álvarez-Correa, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, welcomed all UNWTO delegates to Medellin and underlined the sector’s economic weight in Colombia and beyond, “It is an honour for Colombia to receive the leaders of a sector that represents almost 10 percent of the world’s GDP. Colombia is progressing and tourism is a major contributor to this progress.”

Minister of Tourism and Arts of Zambia, and co-president of the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly, Jean Kapata, said, “Hosting the General Assembly was crucial in raising the tourism sector’s profile in Zambia, and resulted in an important diversification of our economy.”

Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment of Jamaica and Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council said, “We need to work to translate the growth of tourism into real benefits to the people of our countries.”

Anibal Gaviria Correa, Mayor of Medellin, further highlighted the transformation of Medellin and the role on tourism in such transformation: “Medellin went from a city known for being violent to a city recognized as one of the most innovative in the world. In the last four years we have hosted more than 250 national and international events.”