Deputy Minister Ho An Phong met with the new Secretary General of UN Tourism Shaikha Al Nowais

Within the framework of the General Assembly of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), on November 9, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong led the Vietnamese delegation to meet with Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais - New Secretary General of UN Tourism for the 2026-2029 term.

Overview of the meeting

On the afternoon of November 9, 2025, local time, Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais was officially appointed by the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly to the position of Secretary-General of UN Tourism for the 2026-2029 term. She is the first female Secretary-General of UN Tourism in the past 50 years. The new Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nowais will officially take office from January 1, 2026.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Ho An Phong congratulated Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais on her high confidence in holding the important position of Secretary-General of UN Tourism, and expressed his confidence in her leading role in orienting global tourism development towards sustainability, inclusiveness and creativity.

Deputy Minister Ho An Phong said that Vietnam is an emerging tourism country, considered a bright spot of global tourism in the post-COVID-19 recovery period. By 2025, Vietnam will be among the countries with the highest tourism growth rate in the world, reaching 21%. Vietnam has rich tourism resources, great potential for development and has always been an active and responsible member of UN Tourism since joining in 1981.

Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais - New Secretary General of UN Tourism expressed her joy at meeting the delegation and highly appreciated Vietnam's initiatives.

Over the past time, Vietnam and UN Tourism have maintained a close cooperative relationship, especially in 2024 when Vietnam hosted the first International Conference on Rural Tourism of UN Tourism. To date, 5 Vietnamese tourism villages have been honored by UN Tourism as “The best tourism villages in the world”, contributing to promoting sustainable rural tourism development.

Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais expressed her pleasure to meet the Vietnamese delegation and highly appreciated Vietnam's initiatives, especially the "Best Tourism Village" model. She emphasized that in the coming term, UN Tourism will continue to promote and expand this initiative, connecting more content creators, experts and businesses in the tourism sector to enhance the promotion, promotion and dissemination of the value of rural tourism.

Deputy Minister Ho An Phong affirmed that Vietnam clearly sees the effectiveness of participating in the “Best Tourist Villages” network, thereby aiming at sustainable development, connecting and supporting local communities, and creating a new brand for world tourism. Vietnam is committed to continuing to accompany UN Tourism, participating in the organization’s activities with the spirit of initiative, positivity and the highest responsibility.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong presents a souvenir to the new Secretary General of UN Tourism Shaikha Al Nowais

The Deputy Minister also respectfully invited Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais to visit and work in Vietnam to discuss further on key areas of cooperation. The Deputy Minister said that the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will be the focal point to coordinate with UN Tourism in promoting bilateral cooperation programs in the coming time.

Ms. Shaikha Al Nowais affirmed her desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as responsible tourism, sustainable development, capacity building, digital transformation and public-private partnership, towards a more transparent, effective and creative tourism industry.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/thu-truong-ho-an-phong-gap-go-tan-tong-thu-ky-un-tourism-shaikha-al-nowais-20251110164635658.htm