The 104th meeting of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) commenced on Monday in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor. Attending the session are some 170 representatives from 40 countries, including 11 ministers and vice ministers of tourism. The opening ceremony was presided over by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Mohamed Yehia Rashed. At the opening of the meeting, which will run until 1 November, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism said that the meeting sends a message to the world that Egypt is safe. The Minister also added that tourism continues to employ a large part of Egypt’s labour force. “In many our nations, tourism employs a large part of our labor force and helps to create immense benefits to our communities. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 is a unique opportunity to work together in maximizing the contribution of our sector to protect the environment and cultural heritage,” said Rashed, adding that it is important to restore confidence in destinations across the world impacted by any crisis. “We must commit to global efforts and work on restoring confidence in destinations affected by…
