Tourism Leaders to Gather in Athens for UNWTO’s 66th CEU Meeting

UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Athens is ready to welcome leading tourism figures to attend the 66th Meeting of the World Tourism Organization Commission for Europe (CEU) during June 2-4.

Hosted by the Greek government, the two-day meeting in Athens will be attended by UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili, ministers and secretaries of state from the region and beyond and prominent international representatives of the world tourism industry.

Greece is the current Chair of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe.

An event of global interest, this year’s meeting is of major importance as UNWTO Member States of the Region of Europe will come together and discuss the current situation of the tourism sector in light of the unprecedented global health emergency created by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The UNWTO’s European members will focus on the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry; define the future of tourism; and share experiences, best practices and common protocols, aiming at a sustainable recovery of the sector in a safe and coordinated manner.

On June 4, in the framework of the meeting, a conference entitled “Sustainable coastal and maritime tourism in the Mediterranean: Challenges and opportunities in the post-COVID era” will be held.

The conference will be an in-person event and give the opportunity to participants to debate the most pressing and contemporary sustainability issues of coastal and maritime tourism, including cruise tourism.

The event will also serve as a springboard for the formation of the first Research and Monitoring Center for Coastal and Maritime Tourism to be established in Greece in collaboration with the UNWTO. The center’s mission will be to analyze, measure and support the sustainable growth of coastal and maritime tourism in the Mediterranean region.

The conference, which is co-hosted by the Greek Tourism Ministry, the UNWTO and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), will also take place aboard the Cruise Ship Celebrity Apex in Port Piraeus.