UNWTO partners Paraguay to revamp tourism sector

In a bid to work towards making tourism a central pillar of economic growth and social opportunity, the President of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benitez, has welcomed UNWTO’s support to revamp the sector.

“This would also make tourism a priority for creating jobs and opportunities for economic growth.”
  
Reflecting on one of UNWTO’s core priorities, as illustrated by the recent inaugural Global Youth Tourism Summit, the Secretary-General also met with young tourism leaders and advocates from every part of Paraguay to hear their thoughts on the future of the sector and to ensure that they are part of the decision-making process.
  
The UNWTO delegation also visited the historic community of San Cosmey San Damián, a district in the Itapua Department of Paraguay, named one of UNWTO’s Best Tourism Villages in 2021, in recognition of its significance in preserving the country’s unique cultural heritage and as a provider of rural development.

Opening a special session on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Tourism, held against the backdrop of the UNWTO visit, President Benítez, said: “The task of the National Government is to promote Paraguay as a destination as part of our strategy to generate income, strengthen our culture and give the opportunity to a large number of young people who, as the UNWTO Secretary-General said, have the potential to be tourism’s greatest strength.”
  
Alongside meeting with the President, the UNWTO delegation also met with the Minister of Tourism for Paraguay Sofía Montiel de Afara, the National Tourism Advisory Council of Paraguay, as well as with representatives from the World Bank and from across the private sector. The presence of high-level representatives from the Ministries of the Interior, Industry and Commerce and of Education and Sciences, underlined the crosscutting importance of tourism for Paraguay and for the wider region.
  
The Minister of Tourism also revealed plans to build on her Ministry’s existing work with UNWTO and develop a new series of capacity-building initiatives to guide the tourism sector out of the pandemic and towards a more resilient future.