MADRID (Sputnik) — Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai will take part in the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the UNWTO press service said Thursday.
"The goal of participation in the forum is to demonstrate UNWTO's support toward the Russian Federation, which is the organization's member state, and to share the information with UNWTO members and partners about the trends in the tourism sector, organization's activity and initiatives, in particular about the International Year of Sustainable Tourism (2017)," the press service told RIA Novosti.
The head of the United Nations tourism agency will attend the forum for the first time. According to the press service, Rifai will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with Russian governmental officials and meet the students of the St. Petersburg State University's Faculty of Economics.
The 2016 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which is being organized under the auspices of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is due to take place on June 16-18. The forum is organized annually and attended by business representatives and officials from dozens of countries.
