Podgorica, Madrid, (MINA-BUSINESS) – It was concluded at a meeting held in Madrid that Montenegro could become more actively involved in initiatives and events of importance for global tourism. 

Minister of Tourism Simonida Kordic paid an official visit to the UN Tourism headquarters in Madrid, where she met with a high-level delegation led by Executive Director Natalia Bayona and Regional Director for Europe Cordula Wohlmuther.

The meeting was held in the context of Montenegro’s two-year presidency of the UN Tourism Commission for Europe, which began this year.

“Key responsibilities of the presidency, the priorities of the member states of the Commission for Europe, and concrete steps in implementing the Agenda for Europe, a plan that includes projects of common interest for European countries, were discussed at the meeting,” the Ministry stated in a press release.

Special significance was given to the meeting by the latest UNWTO Barometer report for the first quarter of this year, which ranks Montenegro sixth in the world for growth in tourism revenues compared to 2019, with an increase of 87 percent.

Bayona and her team presented current UN Tourism projects, strategic goals for the upcoming period, and opportunities for Montenegro to take a more active role in initiatives and events of importance for global tourism.

Particular attention was paid to innovation, investment, human resource development in tourism, advancement of rural tourism, market analysis, and statistics.

Kordic expressed her satisfaction with the trust shown in Montenegro through its presidency, noting that it offered an opportunity for even deeper cooperation within UN Tourism.

She underscored the importance of tourism for both the global economy and Montenegro’s development, noting its strategic importance.