Sheikha Mai Al Khalifa says that if she is elected today as the new secretary general of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the first thing she will do when she takes office will be to create a museum in part of the space of the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid, a building that it was partly ceded to this organization, based in the Spanish capital.

Also, it will create a fund to reactivate the sector.

Former Minister of Culture and Tourism and current President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, she is the only rival candidate to current UNWTO Secretary Zurab Pololikashvili.

If she wins, she would be the first woman to lead this organization in the worst moment in history for tourism.

Tourism is going through a critical moment ... What are your short-term goals?

The important thing for tourism is mobility, but in many countries it is complicated and you have to work on this issue.

Second, another major problem is that there is no special fund to help the countries most affected by this crisis.

This is one of my main proposals.

We have to have a new vision to be able to face this situation. How would this fund be articulated?

It would be an assistance fund for the crisis, aimed at facilitating the recovery of tourism, would be managed by the UNWTO and would help the countries that need it most.

Like Spain, for example?

For example.

There are many destinations, and specifically the islands, that live off tourism and that could benefit from this fund. Now that the countries are already vaccinating the population, when do you think the activity could start?

When could the expected recovery come?

It is not easy to give deadlines or dates, because there is not enough data to predict when an activity recovery will take place.

This 2021 has started with a mutation of the virus, so there is still a lot of uncertainty and things change from one day to the next, but the most important thing right now is that people get vaccinated to try to solve this problem. from the beginning the lack of coordination between the different states, that each one took restrictions on their own.

What has been done wrong?

The problem we had at the beginning is that there were very fast reactions from some countries to try to contain the virus, as is the case of China.

But if we decide to close the borders we have to try to balance health and the economy, because if the necessary precautions are taken, one can lead a relatively normal life and travel.

If elected, you would be the first woman to head this organization.

This is another challenge ... I do not distinguish between sexes, but it must be recognized that women can play different roles at the same time, at home, at work ... What we ask is to give women the power that they deserve and the UNWTO has to renew.

The pandemic has shown that women leading some countries, such as Germany or New Zealand, have managed the situation better. Which countries do you think will recover sooner?

The markets that can recover earlier are cultural destinations and those related to nature, including sun and sand. What is the role of Spain in this context of recovery?

Spain is known for its tourism and as soon as this pandemic ends it will recover the activity it had before the crisis, because it has the foundations to be a power.

In this country tourism will return quickly.

People always return to the sites that work.

I myself, despite the snow, have discovered Madrid in a different way.

That is what people look for when traveling.

If I am elected, one of the first things I will do will be to renovate the building that was destined for the UNWTO (the conference center) to create a museum of the history of tourism, which is so important for this country.

This place had not been renovated because there were no funds but it will be the first thing I do in my mandate. Will this crisis change our way of traveling?

Without a doubt there will be changes in the sector, nothing will be the same as before and above all we will be much more selective when choosing a destination.

Closeness will prevail, we will no longer seek to go so far.

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