At the 68th meeting of the European Commission of the UN World Tourism Organization, held in the city of Sofia (Bulgaria), Ukraine was elected for the first time to chair this body, the press service of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine said on Facebook on Thursday.

According to Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development Maryana Oleskiv, the chairmanship of the European Committee of the Regions opens up new opportunities for Ukraine to cooperate with the countries of Europe and the world at a professional international level.

"It will become easier for Ukraine to restore the tourist infrastructure depleted and destroyed by the war. We are actively cooperating with the UNWTO, especially during the war. Our first step towards victory was the exclusion of Russia from this organization in 2022. Now it's time to integrate into the greater European environment and occupy it has its own unique niche," she said in a press release.

She expressed confidence that the Ukrainian experience will play a key role in shaping the new architecture of European tourism.

"It is this industry (tourism), in my opinion, that is the main indicator of peace and prosperity of any country in the world," Oleskiv said.

The UNWTO consists of six regional commissions: Africa, Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, and Europe, South Asia, the Middle East. Ukraine will chair the UN WTO European Commission for two years.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a United Nations specialized agency established in 1975 to promote responsible, sustainable and inclusive tourism. Ukraine has been a full member of the WTO since 1997.