3rd Policy Forum on International Tourism Cooperation - Seoul, South Korea

UNWTO Secretary-Genaral Taleb Rifai

On Sept. 22, 2014, Millennium Destinations attended the 3rd Policy Forum on International Tourism Cooperation in Seoul, South Korea. The event gathered tourism experts from South Korea and overseas to discuss ways to alleviate poverty by developing the tourism industry. The forum was inaugurated by new Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Rep. of Korea, H.E. Jongdeok Kim. UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai delivered a keynote speech on “Sustainable Development through Tourism: the Case for Development Assistance in Tourism.” 

UNWTO SG Rifai mentioned the upcoming establishment of the International ST-EP Organization, to be hosted in South Korea. This new international organization will be dedicated to the elimination of poverty through sustainable tourism, and UNWTO is working together with the government of the Republic of Korea in order to transform the existing ST-EP Foundation into the International ST-EP Organization, as decided at the 20th session of UNWTO General Assembly in Aug. 2013 in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Through the International ST-EP Organization, South Korea, intends to support developing and least developed countries to escape poverty through sustainable tourism, while sharing its successful development experience in the 1960s and 1970s.