THE Philippines will be bidding to host the next United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2021, with other Asian countries expressing support for the bid.
In a statement Monday, the Department of Tourism (DoT) said that the Philippines will bid to host the event, held every two years, garnering the support of the Joint Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Commission on Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and the Commission on South Asia (CSA).
“The bid is timed with the celebration of the quincentennial (500th year) of the world’s first circumnavigation” which reached Cebu in 1521 prior to completing the return voyage to Spain, the DoT said.
This year’s 23rd UNWTO General Assembly will take place on Sept. 9-13 in Russia. At that conference the host for the 24th UNWTO General Assembly will be announced.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said hosting will give the Philippines the opportunity to show off the sustainability of its tourism programs.
“The Philippines is excited to host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021, primarily to showcase the country’s sustainable tourism programs and actions and secondly, to give importance to the nation’s significant role in world maritime history and to draw highlight to our country’s discovery,” she said.
During the UNWTO meeting in Bhutan on June 4, the Philippines was chosen as member of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability and Committee on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account. — Gillian M. Cortez
