Euronews on World Tourism Day in Tbilisi: peace as the central theme

Euronews, a network operating in 160 countries and 17 different languages with over 400 million viewers, has covered World Tourism Day, an annual event held for the first time in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi last week under the auspices of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

Journalist Lottie Limb explained the rationale for selecting Tourism and Peace as the theme for this year's event. She pointed out that Georgia’s history was a “roll call of conflicts” and said given the country’s history of facing invasions, the decision to host the event with a focus on peace held “significant symbolism”.

The article also said Georgia’s own tourism sector had been through some “seismic shifts” in recent years.

Previously a popular destination for Russian tourists, President Putin’s 2019 travel embargo hit Georgian tourism prior to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. But its star is on the rise with a growing number of international holiday-makers attracted to the vibrant city of Tbilisi, the country’s diverse geography and its famed cuisine”, it noted.

The article concluded with the words of Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the UNWTO, who called on participants to “work together as a sector united to make tourism a beacon of hope and ensure that when peace does return to areas of conflict, we are ready to help people rebuild and connect”.

Government officials, representatives of international organisations and the tourism industry from around the world were hosted in Tbilisi last Friday, with discussion panels focusing on global tourism trends and the role of peace in fostering industry development.

The decision to grant the country the hosting right was unanimously approved by 38 members of the European Commission of the WTO in 2023.