CHENGDU, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Russia's St. Petersburg has been chosen to host the 23rd session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2019.
The decision was made Friday by delegates attending the current UNWTO gathering in southwest China's Chengdu.
St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko said the Russian city is a key tourist destination, receiving 4 million tourists in the first half of 2017, half of which were foreign visitors.
Poltavchenko said the next UNWTO session will be as successful as the Chengdu one.
More than 1,300 delegates from over 130 countries and regions attended the biennial UNWTO meeting this year.
During the session, the world's tourism body appointed a new chief, Georgian senior diplomat Zurab Pololikashvili, who will assume the office next year.
