The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have signed an agreement to work together to advance goals relating to the sustainable and responsible growth of rural tourism.

In leading the sector’s response to Covid-19 and now guiding the global restart of tourism, UNWTO has been working closely with fellow UN agencies from the start of the current crisis.

This new memorandum of understanding (MoU) comes on the back of World Tourism Day 2020, which was celebrated worldwide around the special theme of Tourism and Rural Development. Under the agreement, UNWTO and FAO will build a framework for enhanced collaboration, including through the sharing of knowledge and resources.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “This Memorandum of Understanding between UNWTO and the FAO emphasises the cross-cutting nature of tourism and the importance of cooperation at every level to ensure the sector works for everyone. Both tourism and agriculture are lifelines for communities around the world.

“The agreement is particularly timely as it comes as we recognize 2020 as the year of Tourism for Rural Development. This was also the theme of World Tourism Day, which we celebrated this week, highlighting the role tourism must play in providing opportunities for rural communities and driving social and economic recovery.” – TradeArabia News Service