Even at his first election as UNWTO Secretary-General in 2017 in Madrid, Zurab Pololikashvili relied on the diplomatic corps residents in Spain, who he called his friends as the former ambassador for Georgia.
At the current 45th edition of the Spanish travel industry trade show FITUR, which is ongoing in Madrid, Zurab took the 50th-anniversary celebration of UN-Tourism away from IFEMA, the fairgrounds, to the Four Seasons Hotel in Madrid.
He and his sponsors had a good reason.
Attempting to run for an unusual third term, Zurab has sought to appeal to UN Executive Tourism Member Countries who can vote for him in the executive council.
In 2017, this author presented evidence and predicted that Zurab has a special connection to China or may otherwise be obligated to this country. Some even said he was some kind of a “sleeping cell for China.”
In 2018, at the Chengdu, China UN Tourism General Assembly, where Zurabs questionable election was confirmed under even more bizarre circumstances, China started an organization with the Chinese government’s mandate to lead the world tourism industry.
The organization never became too relevant, but China’s ambition may be alive, and Zurab’s re-election may be the key to their success.
Unsurprisingly, two sources told eTurboNews that China sponsored the costly UN Tourism event last night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Madrid in return for an executive position in UN Tourism.
China is expected to lobby for Zurab’s re-election, knowing that many Belt and Road countries are indebted to China after taking loans within the initiative. Some of these countries, such as Zambia, are members of the Executive Council. It is an open secret that China has been controlling civil aviation in this African country since Zambia could not pay back loans for infrastructure it received after participating in China’s Belt and Road initiative.
It’s also no surprise that the two competing candidates in the upcoming election, Gloria Guevara from Mexico and Harry Theoharis from Greece, were not invited, even though they are attending FITUR.
Also not invited were any former high executives or secretary generals of UN Tourism. As it became a routine for Zurab, the media was mainly banned, and no open press conference occurred.
The prominent presence of Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, was one of the stars at the event since he is leading the Executive Council in charge of electing a new UN Tourism Secretary General in May. Brazil was also a partner country for FITUR.
Earlier, the King and Queen of Spain inaugurated the 45th edition of FITUR/
“It is an honor and a privilege to reflect on how far we have come and to reaffirm why we are here,” said Zurab Pololikashvili in his speech. “Tourism is not just a sector of the economy; it is a force that drives connections, understanding, and transformation.”
Zurab noted that more than 1.5 billion international tourists travel annually and mentioned the 56 ongoing conflicts worldwide.
The Secretary-General said that in times of division, tourism stands as a silent yet steadfast advocate for unity. It sounded ironic that he was dividing tourism so he could get questionable votes for a third term.
Based on information received by eTurboNews, the Senegal president will denounce this third term and call on the United Nations and transparency organizations to improve governance.
The Brazilian Minister, head of the UN Tourism Executive Council and a sure supporter of the current Secretary General’s third term took the floor, stating, “We have to think about the future as if it were today for sustainability and the preservation of the environment. We will work together in this direction in the Executive Committee of UN Tourism to make a world of greater solidarity, of greater cooperation.”
