NO OFFICIAL RESPONSE FROM DHO CAMPAIGN BUT SOURCES SUGGEST KOREAN UNWTO CANDIDATE IS ‘UNHAPPY‘ ABOUT ARTICLE
(Posted 20th March 2017)
Two periodic sources from South Asia have on condition of anonymity voiced their opinion over an article in Spain’s ‘The Diplomat’ of the 17th of March in which it was suggested that the Brazilian, Georgian and Zimbabwean candidates are the three front runners for the post of UNWTO Secretary General.
It is understood that the campaign of Mrs. Dho Young-shim was unhappy as they consider her the frontrunner for the global tourism top job, having reportedly secured already two of the 10 African votes besides commitments from Asia and Europe.
The Dho campaign, which in an unprecedented move has seen her nominate Prof. Carlos Vogeler as her second in command, appears to believe their main rivals are Brazilian Marcio Favilla and Seychelles’ Alain St. Ange. Those two it has been suggested by the sources, are seen as the main threat to secure the wanted outcome in the second round of the election, which takes place in May in Madrid when the Executive Committee of UNWTO meets to take their two votes – the second then only among the two ‘surviving’ candidates with all others eliminated in round one.
Both Dho and Vogeler are deeply entrenched in UNWTO and currently hold top positions already and are believed to have quietly campaigned among the electoral college members to maintain the ‘Status Quo‘ for some time before putting their hat in the ring.
What foundation ‘The Diplomat‘ had for its assertion that the three named are indeed the frontrunners, has apparently been questioned by other candidates too whose name were relegated into the ‘also run‘ category and it is left to speculation what motives prompted the writer to cross swords with those other candidates in such a fashion, including the Dho – Vogeler team.
The clock is now ticking towards the meeting of the Executive Committee in May in Madrid and all candidates will no doubt be visible and present at all key tourism events from here on to lobby for themselves, some from a position of a moral high ground and others from the trenches throwing mud.
Watch this space!
