Ministers and high representatives of UNWTO Members States in the Americas meeting in Havana, Cuba have express their full support to Ecuador following the tragic earthquake that struck the country’s central coast on April 16th, 2016.

The statement came during the occasion 60th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for the Americas.

In a joint statement, they stressed that “Ecuador is a tourism success story; a country where tourism supports many livelihoods” and committed to “work, alongside UNWTO, to support Ecuador with the planning process for the rehabilitation of a sustainable tourism offer on the Coast of Ecuador and the promotion of tourism to the region”.

Furthermore, participants expressed their full confidence in Ecuador’s recovery and tourism development saying that: “Ecuador will continue to shine as an increasingly important tourism destination in the Americas and that tourism will continue to play a vital role in advancing the country’s development.”