The United Nations Tourism Organization UN Tourism and Morocco have strengthened their partnership for shared priorities and tourism development.
The development followed a meeting between Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UN Tourism and Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, on Monday in Rabat.
During the meeting between the two, on the sideline of Pololikashvili’s working visit to Morocco, Bourita highlighted the strategic partnership between Morocco and UN Tourism, based on shared priorities and a common vision for the future of global tourism, emphasizing the key role of the Kingdom as a leader in promoting sustainable tourism on a global scale, in accordance with the vision of King Mohammed VI, which makes the tourism sector a lever for sustainable development and economic growth.
The Moroccan minister welcomed the decision of UN Tourism to open a Thematic Office in his country, explaining that the structure will serve as a platform for cooperation between the Kingdom, UN Tourism and the member countries of the organization, as part of an approach consistent with the vision of King Mohammed VI for active, supportive and pragmatic South-South cooperation. He also highlighted Morocco’s major projects in the field of tourism, including the organization of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, specifying that these events represent unique opportunities to promote the Kingdom’s tourism potential while aligning with international best practices in sustainable tourism.
Bourita took the opportunity to recall country’s vision for sports tourism, considered a key pillar of the Kingdom’s development and a catalyst for promoting peace, stability and security, as well as the rapprochement of peoples and nations. On his part, the secretary general of UN Tourism welcomed the strategic vision of King Mohammed VI, focused on job creation and the development of sustainable tourism.
Similarly, he welcomed Morocco’s organization of global and continental sporting events, such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, adding that these initiatives strengthen the Kingdom’s status as a regional and global hub for sporting events that meet UN Tourism’s international standards.
Pololikashvili also reaffirmed his organization’s commitment to supporting Morocco by providing its expertise, knowledge and technical support to ensure the success of these major projects.
During the meeting, the secretary general presented the English version of a promotional book entitled: “Tourism Doing Business Investing in Morocco”, which will serve as a lever to inform potential investors of opportunities in Morocco during international exhibitions and fairs, knowing that the international organization intends to translate the book into several languages: Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and French. It should be recalled that the Kingdom of Morocco is currently a member of the UN Tourism Executive Council for the period 2022-2025 and is officially presenting its candidacy to occupy one of the seats allocated to the Africa region within the Council for the period 2025-2029.
However, the visit by the Secretary-General is the second of its kind. He met Bourita in 2021 in a post-Covid context. During the meeting, the two parties shared their common vision of using tourism as a driver of development, while exploring ways to strengthen the resilience of the industry in the face of global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UN Tourism, headquartered in Madrid, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system. It plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism for all, with a particular focus on the interests of developing countries. UN Tourism brings together 160 member countries and more than 500 affiliate members, representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
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