Georgian head of UNWTO appoints Lionel Messi as Ambassador for Responsible Tourism

One of the best football players of all time, Lionel Messi has joined the World Tourism Organisation to promote the value of responsible tourism after the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, appointed him as UNWTO Ambassador for Responsible Tourism.

During my travels I have had the opportunity to discover other cultures and societies as well as other ways to see the world and this is very enriching. The World Tourism Organization as a specialized Agency of the United Nations works to make tourism a source of development and I am happy I can join this mission of promoting responsible tourism”, said Lionel Messi.

Messi is admired all around the world not least because of his performance with F.C. Barcelona in recent years, a team with which he won a total of 30 titles, including eight Spanish Leagues, four Champion Leagues and five King’s Cups of Spain.

 Messi is a unique sportsman and an example of how willpower and constant work yield good results. It is a great honour to have Messi joining UNWTO and other well-known personalities in promoting the positive values and benefits that tourism represents” said Zurab Pololikashvili.

Lionel Messi joins the Spanish football player Fernando Hierro and the mythical Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque, as the first personalities that UNWTO has appointed to advance connections between sports and tourism and promote the transformative power of responsible tourism.