The Philippines participates at the 23rd UN World Tourism Organization General Assembly

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat delivers her remarks during the presentation of the Philippine candidature to host the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in 2021. (Madrid PE photo)

Madrid, Spain — The Philippines participated in the 23^rd General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on September 9-13, 2019 in Saint Petersburg.

The Philippine delegation was led by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, along with the Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta, Philippine Permanent Representative to the Madrid-based UNWTO and Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier, and House Committee on Tourism Chairperson Congresswoman Sol Aragones.

From left: Ambassador Lhuillier, UNWTO Secretary General Pololikashvili, Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta, and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. (Madrid PE photo)

At the meeting, the Philippines launched its bid to host the 24^th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021, centering its campaign narrative around showcasing the Philippines’ sustainable tourism success while highlighting the significance of 2021 as a landmark year in Philippine history, as it marks the 500th Anniversary of the circumnavigation of the globe. Secretary Romulo-Puyat cited Boracay as one of the biggest and first success stories of the Philippine Government’s drastic action to ensure the preservation of its most popular tourist sites.

Secretary Romulo-Puyat (fourth from right), Ambassador Sorreta (leftmost) and Ambassador Lhuillier (rightmost) with the chefs who assisted during the Philippines´ hosted lunch reception at the UNWTO General Assembly. (Madrid PE photo)

Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier (right) with UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili at the 23rd General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization in Saint Petersburg. Ambassador Lhuillier also serves as Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UNWTO, which is based in Madrid. (Madrid PE photo)

However, the Philippines came second to Morocco, who campaigned based on sustainable and inclusive development and capitalized on its role as one of the leaders in tourism in the African region.

The event also saw the awarding of Filipino chef Margarita Fores, who was appointed by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili as UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism. She now joins the likes of Chef Juan Mari Arzak and Chef Joan Roca in holding this prestigious position.

The Philippines’ Masungi Georeserve was also recognized by Secretary General Pololikashvili as one of the top three privately-led sustainable tourism projects, out of 200 nominations from all over the world.

The country, being a member of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability and the Committee on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account, looks forward to continuing its work with the UNWTO.

Ambassador Lhuillier (right) with Filipino chef Margarita Fores, who was recently appointed as UNWTO Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism. (Madrid PE photo)

For his part, Ambassador Lhuiller expressed gratitude for the support rendered by the Member States, and reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to strengthen its participation in the organization.

For more information, visit https://www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph,
https://www.philembassymadrid.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSpain/.