World meeting about tourism will be held in the Shrine of Fátima
Fátima will celebrate the ending of the Centennial of the Apparitions by holding a Conference of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), scheduled for November of next year, says news agency Lusa.
The day of the Conference is still unknown, but the mayor of Ourém – center region of Portugal, 132km (82 miles) from Lisbon – suggested the second half of November, 2017. The mayor Paulo Fonseca told news agency Lusa that the Conference of the World Tourism Organization comes from a touristic promotion of the Centennial Fátima’s Apparitions.
Paulo Fonseca met in Netherlands, last week, with the secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as a part of a conference on Religious Tourism and Heritage the organization promoted. The mayor said he was invited to be a part of a network of 26 touristic cities, organized to “reflect upon the future of tourism”.
The mayor also stated the cooperation between the Portuguese city Ourém and the United Nation’s entity for Tourism will also result in a workshop on religious tourism scheduled for March 2017.
Religious Tourism has a very significant impact in Ourém: the Shrine of Fátima welcomes around 6.7 million visitors per year. In 2017, there are many visitors expected in Fátima because of Pope Francis’ visit to the Shrine on May the 13th to celebrate the Centennial of Our Lady’s Apparitions.
