The acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes MarotoHe said today that tourism must be a “transformation vector” and “instrument of territorial rebalancing to face the demographic challenge.
In the morning session of the G20 Tourism Ministers meeting held in Kutchan (Hokkaido, Japan), the minister recalled that Spain is the most competitive country in the world, according to the World Economic Forum, and that the Tourism Strategy of the Government is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
He also emphasized the importance of sustainability “not only as a moral requirement, but also an economic one, because without sustainability there will be no tourism in the future” and he expressed the need for the future tourism growth model to take quality into account of residents' life: "Tourism can contribute to creating a better, more prosperous, equal and inclusive world."
At the same meeting, the representatives of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have set Spain as an example in the areas of tourism sustainability and innovation (smart cities), respectively .
At noon, Reyes Maroto held a bilateral meeting with Akaba Kazuyoshi, Minister of Territory, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, and chairman of the G20, to strengthen bilateral relations and promote the increase in tourist flows.
In the afternoon he attended different project presentations, visited the space dedicated to the indigenous ethnic group Ainu (Utari) – where he coincided with the governor of Hokkaido, Suzuki Naomichi-, and attended the evening session, dedicated to the role of innovation and digital transformation in tourism sustainability.