UNWTO Secretary General praises Montenegro’s results in promoting sustainable tourism development

Since becoming a full member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) three years ago, Montenegro has played a significant role, not only in promoting the values of sustainable tourism, but  also in terms of setting an example of how tourism and environment can develop in a harmonious way, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and Secretary General of the UNWTO Taleb Rifai emphasised during their meeting in Podgorica.

“Being a small country, you are an excellent example of a successful sustainable tourism development. I am personally impressed by everything you have accomplished to date and I often use Montenegro as an example in my presentations,” said Mr Rafai, who was appointed UNWTO Secretary General in January.

Further enhancement of the quality of Montenegro’s tourism offer, which would result in the extension of the average number of bed nights and higher consumption, is the common interest, the two officials concluded. Apart from statistical monitoring of bed nights and financial effects in tourism, UNWTO is ready to offer statistic tools for monitoring employment in tourism.

Mr Rafai invited PM Djukanovic to visit UNWTO headquarters in Madrid and get actively involved in the global project of sustainable tourism promotion as a representative of the South-Eastern Europe region.