The United Nations World Tourism Organization has decided to work alongside the Expedia Group to strengthen ties between the public and private sectors of the tourism industry in order to drive tourism recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will allow collaborate on a range of topics, with the common aim of driving tourism recovery and making the sector more resilient and sustainable.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met with representatives of the Expedia Group in Brussels following successful talks with leaders of the European Institutions. UNWTO has already committed towards strengthening ties with the private sector and the enhanced partnership will allow the agency to work more closely with the Expedia Group so that the joint actions focus on market intelligence and innovation. UNWTO and Expedia will also work together to promote entrepreneurship and professional education, and in the field of consumer protection.
Secretary-General Pololikashvili said in his statement that UNWTO has been a strong advocate of close cooperation between the public and private sectors from the very beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and shared that the enhanced partnership will help improve the knowledge of global tourism trends, and allow the organisation to respond to new challenges and guide tourism’s recovery. He also mentioned that it will help to place innovation and sustainability at the heart of the recovery, and ensure that tourism emerges stronger than before.
The partnership with between UNWTO and Expedia Group will also see both parties share data on tourism trends and developments, both at the global and the local scale. This will help inform decision-making, producing data-based policies aimed tourism’s sustainable recovery and future development.
Tags: Expedia, tourism recovery, United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO
