MADRID, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Issues such as integrating national security with tourism security, crisis communication and travel advisories were some of issues to be discussed at the first meeting of the UNWTO High Level Task Force on Tourism and Security convened here on Wednesday.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) confirmed that the meeting brought together representatives from UNWTO members and organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as private sector bodies.
The meeting was held on the eve of the 105th UNWTO Executive Council meeting which will also be held in Madrid on May 11 and 12.
"The Task Force was established by the UNWTO Executive Council to help us reinforce our action and cooperation towards safer, more secure and yet more seamless travel," said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai as he opened the meeting.
The task force will focus on five key issues which are the integration between tourism and security; support to the sector in setting crisis management plans and protocols, travel advisories, safe, secure and seamless travel, and crisis communication.
Wednesday also saw Costa Rican President, Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, named as Special Ambassador for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
The UNWTO gave Rivera the post in recognition of the initiatives in the sustainable tourism field developed by Costa Rica, which is home to 5 percent of the world's biodiversity and has over 25 percent of its surface area classified as protected.
