On May 29-30, 2025, tourism ministers and their representatives from 20% of the UN Tourism member countries are scheduled to meet in Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, Segovia, Spain, to recommend a new UN Tourism Secretary General. Twenty percent of the UN Tourism members are rotating executive council members.
Their recommendation has to be confirmed by the full UN-Tourism General Assembly in Riyadh later this year. This is usually only a routine procedure, so the Executive Council decides for all 150+ member states making up for UN-Tourism, formerly UNWTO.
Even the name change was a sham, according to the former UNWTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli, to erase the failures under Zurab’s leadership for UNWTO
Georgian national Zurab Pololikashvili served for two terms, winning two elections under eyebrow-raising circumstances. He won the vote due to his country’s ambition to join the European Union. However, the cards have now changed, with Georgia leaning on Russia instead, meaning European support will be difficult for him. In addition, the support of any country that values democracy may be a challenge when they understand there should not be a third term for a UN agency Secretary-General.
Fairness and a democratic environment of this Madrid-based UN-affiliated agency were never high on their agenda under Zurab’s leadership. His efforts in bypassing and interpreting rules and procedures to benefit himself allowed him to run for a third term, which many countries disagree with.
UN Member Countries are not built equal. Zurab understands this well and has been spending UN money and resources on catering to ministers of countries that are members of the Executive Council and can vote in the upcoming May elections.
A modus operandi of questionable deals, money flows, and corruption seems to follow his attempt to open regional offices in countries such as Brazil, Morocco, or Namibia that will not benefit anyone except him by begging for a vote for his third term re-election.
It’s hard to understand that countries don’t yet understand that Zurab’s election promises are worthless; they’re just smoke and mirrors. Moreover, a new Secretary General can question his predecessor’s illegal measures.
Zurab’s manipulation started in 2017 with giving away football tickets to sold-out games to candidates. He promised the leading candidate, Dr. Walter Mzembi, a high-level job in return for not disclosing the fraud committed at the General Assembly in Chengdu. This would have embarrassed not only Zurab but also the Chinese host, and put the entire UN structure in question. Of course, this promise to have Dr. Walter Mzembi clean up the loophole in the UNWTO system to allow such irregularities in return for rendering his likely win to Zurab never happened.
After spending millions, the regional office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia never produced a report but bailed out Zurab in many ways. The activities, if any, of this regional center in Riyadh are unknown.
Zurab’s recent activities have mainly involved spending UN-Tourism money and promising regional centers, conferences, and high-level jobs to those who agree to vote for him. Unproven allegations of money laundering have been surfacing in Latin America, and a criminal investigation in Spain is ongoing in connection with activities during the COVID crisis, Air Europe, and the PM’s wife.
Pololikashvili is scared to be confronted. Therefore, his first call to order recently was not to allow competing candidates for Secretary-General to attend important ministerial events and to keep opposing media out of sight.
Dear Mr. Steinmetz,
We refer to your email regarding registration for the Ministers’ Summit. We have considered your request, but having taken into account the wishes of our partner, UNWTO, please be informed that you will not be permitted to attend the Ministers Summit taking place at WTM 2022.
We realize this may come as a disappointment to you, however, we look forward to welcoming you to WTM London 2022.
Yours sincerely,
Juliette Losardo
Exhibition Director
World Travel Market
His widely announced appearance at the recently finished resilience conference in Jamaica did not happen because two strong opposing candidates, Harry Theoharis from Greece and Gloria Guevara from Mexico, were also invited to speak at the event hosted by Edmund Bartlett, the minister of tourism for Jamaica, and also a member of the Executive Council.
Zurab knew he could not compete with either of the two candidates attending the event in Jamaica and decided to stay home. eTurboNews also participated in the Jamaica event, which may have pushed the secretary-general not to attend.
Zurab needs the African vote, so he has recently emphasized Morocco and Namibia and is using UN resources to open a regional center in both countries. BN is trying to impress the newly appointed minister in this African country.
African leaders told eTurboNews that candidates should denounce the fraud committed by this Secretary General against Namibia and Africa. Zurab hopes that when such old tactics to fake support are discovered in Africa, it will be too late, and he will have received the African votes for which he is manipulating the system.
Faouzou Deme in Senegal, who gave up his ambition to become Secretary General, to support the Mexican candidate Gloria Guevara, told eTurboNews:
When will all these governments realize Zurab is using old tactics to fake support in exchange for votes? Did the warning by two former Secretary Generals, Francesco Frangialli and Dr. Taleb Rifai, sink in to ministers of tourism representing UN-Tourism Member states?