The UNWTO press service said that the participants of the summit discussed policies in the field of tourism and aviation.

Tourism Ministers from around the world and private sector representatives participated in a discussion around the theme “How to bridge the gap between tourism and aviation policies”.

The Summit’s 2013 edition addressed such issues as bringing air transport and tourism policies closer together, opportunities and challenges facing air transport and development – infrastructure, taxes and levies, visa facilitation and regulation, etc.

Speakers included the Ministers and Secretaries of State for Tourism of Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, South Africa and Spain as well as the President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Vice President of Government Affairs of Amadeus, the Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Vice President for Europe of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Director of the Air Transport Bureau of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The discussion was further enriched by the participation of over 40 Ministers registered to attend the event.

Now on its seventh year, the UNWTO/WTM Ministers´ Summit is part of the World Travel Market Ministers Programme, bringing together Tourism Ministers and leading tourism experts to debate each year key issues affecting the future of the sector.