Mexico City, Jun 29 (EFE) .- The Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, met this Tuesday with the Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whom he thanked for having facilitated tourism to the keep borders open during the covid-19 pandemic.
“I received the secretary of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, accompanied by our secretary (of Tourism) Miguel Torruco, and he gave me recognition for the tourism policy implemented during the pandemic, which I thanked on behalf of all,” reported the agent in networks after the meeting.
In a statement, the Mexican government reported that the UNWTO secretary general gave López Obrador a plaque of recognition because Mexico “allowed the flow of a significant amount of trips in the country by maintaining the non-restriction of flights to Mexico.”
“Honored to meet with the president of Mexico, López Obrador. Thank you for not turning your back on tourism. Your support for the sector shows that tourism is essential to grow and recover stronger. It will be a pleasure to continue working together,” he said for his Pololikashvili share on Twitter.
During the meeting, the Mexican president invited the UNWTO secretary to the future inaugurations of the General Felipe Ángeles International Airport of Mexico City and the first section of the Mayan Train, two emblematic infrastructure works of the López Obrador government.
The president also asked Pololikashvili to send the invitation to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, to the first World Summit on Rural Tourism, to be held in September in Mexico with the support of the UNWTO.
During his first official visit to Mexico, Pololikashvili also met with the Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, with whom he discussed “the tourism potential” of the Mexican capital and applauded the “firm commitment to innovation and tourism “of the megalopolis.
Mexico received 199% more international tourists last April than in the same month of 2020, when there was confinement in much of the world due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The health crisis was a serious blow to the Mexican tourism industry, which contributes 8.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), and the Government estimates that it will not fully recover until 2023.
