UNWTO collaborates with Expedia Group to strengthen tourism recovery

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Expedia Group, to collaborate on a range of components, to strive towards their main goal, the recovery of the tourism industry and making the sector more resilient and sustainable.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affecting the travel sector, the two parties aim to bring together the private and public sectors, to work towards their common objective in rebuilding the success of the industry.

After successful discussions between the leaders of the European Institutions, the Secretary-General of UNWTO Zurab Pololikashvili met with representatives of the Expedia Group, in Brussels, to discuss the initiation of the collaboration, with the use of market intelligence and innovation. As the UN specialized agency is responsible for the promotion of sustainable and universally accessible tourism, the partnership aims to promote entrepreneurship and professional education in consumer protection in the industry.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili said, “From the very start of this crisis, UNWTO has been a strong advocate of close cooperation between the public and private sectors. This enhanced partnership will help improve our knowledge of global tourism trends, allowing us to respond to new challenges and guide tourism’s recovery. It will also help us place innovation and sustainability at the heart of this recovery, ensuring tourism emerges stronger than before.”

The MoU contract will allow both parties to share information on recent tourism trends and developments in the global and local scale. This will provide for faster decision-making, research, and development to enable more efficient operations in future development.