The UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has stressed that “strengthening multilateralism through tourism will deliver results in socio-economic inclusion, sustainable development, peace and understanding”.

 

Addressing G20 Tourism Ministers, he commended the South African Presidency’s focus on inclusion and sustainability.

 

 “More than a motto, the theme for South Africa’s G20 Presidency “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, reminds us that Equality and Sustainability can only be achieved through targeted policies, unified efforts and mutual support among countries - a recognition that in an interconnected world, the challenges faced by one country can have ripple effects globally,“ he said.

 

The G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting focused on the four priorities of South Africa’s Presidency:

 

 

As international tourism continues to growth – international tourist arrivals increased 5 per cent in the first half of 2025 according to the latest World Tourism Barometer – Pololikashvili reaffirmed the critical importance of progressing digital transformation, financing for development, investment and resilient ecosystems in tourism, stressing that there will be no resilience without sustainability. 

 

He called for supporting innovation and stressed that emerging technologies can transform tourism MSMEs, which are the backbone of tourism, but only with adequate financing and programmes to close the digital divide and promote inclusion. 

 

TOURISM VITAL FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

 

Focusing on financing for development, he noted that though “for many developing countries, including Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, tourism is a major source of employment, foreign exchange and tax revenues. Yet, the sector continues to be overlooked as a tool for development, with the total Official Development Assistance disbursements for tourism remaining below 0.11 per cent of total ODA.”

 

Closing, Pololikashvili highlighted South Africa’s G20 Presidency as a show of the continent’s leadership in the global agenda.  He recalled that Africa is home to 19 per cent of the world’s population, with 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. “The opportunities the continent offers in tourism are many” he said and “unlocking tourism investment and development for jobs and inclusion is a core priority of the UN Tourism Agenda for Africa.”

 

UN TOURISM AS KNOWLEDGE PARTNER OF SOUTH AFRICA G20 PRESIDENCY

 

The G20 economies represent around 70 per cent of all international tourist arrivals and exports worldwide and 83 per cent of the world’s tourism’s global GDP. The sector accounted directly for 3.1 per cent of the GDP of the G20 (2023), 5 per cent of all exports of the group and 23 per cent of all its service exports (2024).  -TradeArabia News Service