Basque Tourism Agency Basquetour has been elected to the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) Board of Affiliate Members

The Board is composed of a total of 20 members from around the world, selected from agencies selected on two different lists: one which is global, which Basquetour belonged to, and the other which is regional. Apart from Basquetour, other bodies such as FITUR-the Madrid International Tourism Fair, IATA-International Air Transport Association (Switzerland), AEHM- Madrid Hotel Business Association, the Complutense University of Madrid’s Faculty of Trade and Tourism, NECSTOUR- The Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (Belgium), TripAdvisor (USA), the Faculty of Tourism from the University of Malaga, the Austria World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations, and the Pan American Confederation of Hospitality and Tourism Schools of Mexico, were also selected.

The Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, will elect another three members to serve as chairperson and two vice-chairpersons.

The Board of Affiliate Members is a representative body of all Affiliate Members, which meets at least twice a year and assists and advises the Secretary-General for the following issues:

• the integration and contribution of Affiliate Members to the UNWTO’s goals, mission and overall programme,
• the development of the strategy, as well as the adoption of the draft work programme and the follow-up of its implementation, and its integration into the overall UNWTO’s work programme,
• approval of the minutes of the regular and special meetings of the Board, access to the UNWTO’s financial report and audited financial statements,
• the proposal to the Chairperson of the Board for issues on the agenda for the Board meetings.

The UNWTO, whose headquarters are located in Madrid, currently comprises 159 member States.