Tourism faces the biggest challenge of a generation: UNWTO

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO has said that Tourism faces the biggest challenge of a generation amidst the current COVID-19 crisis. He said, “Tourism faces the biggest challenge of a generation. But events like Healing Solutions for Tourism’ Challenge’ has shown, tourism can deliver solutions for all. We now have an opportunity to rethink tourism and do things better. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence and big data will all have a part to play in our joint response to COVID-19, and in building resilience for the future. As such, I thank all those who took part in the Healing Solutions initiative and look forward to the winning ideas being scaled up to make a real difference in the challenging times ahead.”

Tourism has been among the hardest hit of all major economic sectors. To rebuild confidence in travelling and to enhance tourism’s contribution to wider societal recovery, UNWTO called on innovators to share their ideas for positive change. Entrepreneurs pitched in three categories: Healing for People, Healing for Prosperity and Healing for Destinations. Over 1,100 applications were received and from the 30 shortlisted projects, nine were selected by a panel of sector leaders including Pololikashvili.