MEETING OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE WTO IN ST. PETERSBURG

VATICAN CITY, OCT 3, 2002 (VIS) - Msgr. Piero Monni will participate in the 69th session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) from October 3 through 5 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is the permanent observer of the Holy See to the World Trade Organization and will participate in the seminary on the theme "The future challenges of cultural tourism."

In a note made public today, it was indicated that at the meeting of the Executive Council the following themes will be discussed: the importance of the formation of professionals in the tourism industry, the development of sustainable tourism and ecological tourism, the importance of the "safety" and "quality" of tourism; the outcome of the World Summit in Johannesburg (August 26 to September 4) and the contribution of tourism in the fight against poverty; the process of transformation of the Organization in the Specialized Institution of the UN.

In his speech on October 5, Msgr. Monni will talk about the subject of cultural tourism, "which represents an essential tool of knowledge and solidarity among peoples." In addition, he will emphasize "the importance of religious cultural tourism, an incentive for discovering the spiritual roots of all populations on the earth."

...;EXECUTIVE COUNCIL;...;MONNI; WTO;VIS;20021003;Word: 200;