UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai recently made an official visit to Portugal. During his visit, Mr. Rifai came together with Prime Minister Antonio Costa, with whom he discussed the importance of raising the public visibility of the socio-economic impact of tourism.
Mr Rifai addressed the mechanisms of coordination among Ministries to advance tourism development in the country as well as issues of air transport and the relevance of new source markets such as China.
Mr. Rifai and Portuguese authorities discussed the role of tourism in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the contribution of tourism to job creation and economic growth in Portugal.
Mr. Rifai also visited Madeira, whose Secretary of Economy, Tourism and Culture Eduardo Jesus presented UNWTO with Madeira’s regional tourism strategy. Issues in discussion included the project “Porto Santo free Fossil Island”.
During his stay in Madeira, Mr Rifai welcomed five hotel chains (Quinta do Furão, Savoy Hotels & Resorts, Pestana Hotel Group, Porto Bay Hotels & Resorts and FourViews Hotels) which joined the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics, pledging to implement and promote the principles of the Code and report on their actions.
To date, 499 companies and associations from 67 countries – from airlines and hotels, to tour operators and associations – have committed to uphold ethical standards and live by the Code in their operations.
Mr. Rifai and Portuguese authorities discussed the role of tourism in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the contribution of tourism to job creation and economic growth in Portugal
