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24th UNWTO General Assembly: Tourism United, Resilient and Determined

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24th UNWTO General Assembly: Tourism United, Resilient and Determined

Madrid, Spain, December 12, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / Over the course of three days, the 24th session of the UNWTO General Assembly underscored global tourism’s commitment to restarting around the shared pillars of sustainability, innovation and solidarity.

Representatives of 131 UNWTO Member States, including 59 Ministers and Vice-Ministers of Tourism, attended the Assembly in the Spanish capital, Madrid (30 November – 3 December). Alongside the participation of Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Ms. Reyes Maroto, the political support to UNWTO from the Spanish government was underlined with the presence of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares. On the eve of the General Assembly, the King of Spain Felipe VI expressed his recognition of tourism’s socio-economic relevance and appreciation of the role of UNWTO.

Unprecedented reach and recognition

UNWTO presented its accomplishments over the past two years since the last General Assembly, most notably guiding tourism through the biggest crisis in the history of the sector. Against this backdrop. members endorsed the Programme of Work for the coming biennium and voted strongly (77%) in favour of the Secretary-General serving a second term (2022- 2025). United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, as well as the leaders of key UN agencies UNWTO has been working with throughout the pandemic – WHO, ICAO and UNCTAD – delivered dedicated messages to UNWTO.
Power of youth and private sector

The General Assembly united Member States and Affiliate Members around a shared vision for the future of tourism and UNWTO itself. Members endorsed a landmark International Code for the Protection of Tourists, making clear the responsibilities every part of the sector has in assisting tourists in crisis situations and so helping restore trust in international travel.

Sustainable, inclusive future

Away from the Plenary Sessions for Members, the General Assembly also saw UNWTO bring Tourism Ministers and representatives from international organizations and the private sector together for a special Thematic Session on “Building for the Future: Innovation, Education and Rural Development”. Here, the winners of the UNWTO Global Rural Tourism Competition were announced, as was the first list of Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO, recognizing the power of new ideas to create opportunities outside of big cities and those destinations that are already leading the way in harnessing the power of tourism as a driver of recovery and sustainable development.

At the same time, the best young talent was also celebrated with the winners of the UNWTO Students’ League sharing their ideas alongside established sector leaders. And the role of UNWTO’s Affiliate Members in putting plans into action the ground was also emphasized. New Affiliate Members were welcomed and examples of effective public-private partnerships singled out, for helping tourism adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Members voted to hold the 25th Session of the General Assembly in 2023 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Before then, as also endorsed by Members, Bali in Indonesia will host World Tourism Day 2022, to be held around the timely theme of ‘Rethinking Tourism’, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be the host country for World Tourism Day 2023, to be held around the theme of ‘Tourism for Green Investment’.

First published at TravelCommunication.net – Global Travel News

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

UNWTO 24th General Assembly to Put Innovation and Education at Heart of Tourism’s Restart

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UNWTO 24th General Assembly to Put Innovation and Education at Heart of Tourism’s Restart

Madrid, Spain, October 26, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will hold the 24th General Assembly in Madrid, Spain, from 30 November to 3 December 2021. The General Assembly is UNWTO’s main gathering and the platform for Member States to approve UNWTO’s programme of work and budget for the coming biennium (2022-2023).

The 2021 General Assembly will place a special emphasis on the importance of innovation, education and rural development, as well as tourism’s role in inclusive growth, the theme of World Tourism Day 2021. Additionally, delegates will be presented with the International Code for the Protection of Tourists, a landmark legal instrument designed to restore trust in international travel.

Other key items on the agenda for the General Assembly include proposed reforms to the UNWTO Affiliate Membership Legal Framework, the finals of the UNWTO Students’ League and appointment of the UNWTO Secretary-General for the period 2022-2025. The General Assembly will also see the winners of the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages competition named.

Alongside this, and in line with UNWTO’s heightened emphasis on digital communications and visual storytelling, winners of the 2021 UNWTO Tourism Video Competition, aimed at recognizing promotional videos of Member States and Affiliate Members that highlight the sector’s resilience and its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will also be announced in Madrid.

Restarting tourism together

Following protocol, the Secretary-General will present his report to the General Assembly on the implementation of UNWTO’s Programme of Work, actions and new initiatives since it last met in 2019. The agenda includes the selection of the UNWTO Executive Council Members for 2022, the World Committee of Tourism Ethics, as well as choosing the location and dates of the next session of the General Assembly, with Egypt, Portugal and Uzbekistan all set to submit bids. The Kingdom of Morocco had been scheduled to host this year’s General Assembly but subsequently confirmed that changing public health considerations meant it was unable to do so. In accordance with the Statutes and the rules of the Organization, the 24th session will take place at its Headquarters in Madrid, Spain.

Members will also be provided with updates on the opening of Regional Offices, including a first Regional Office for the Middle East, to work alongside the UNWTO Secretariat in Madrid, Spain, and planned themes for World Tourism Day in both 2022 and 2023.

First published at TravelCommunication.net – Global Travel News

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

UNWTO: Vaccines and Reopen Borders Driving Tourism’s Recovery

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UNWTO: Vaccines and Reopen Borders Driving Tourism’s Recovery

Madrid, Spain, October 5, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / International tourism enjoyed signs of rebound in June and July 2021 as some destinations eased travel restrictions and the global vaccination rollout advanced in many parts of the world.

According to the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, an estimated 54 million tourists crossed international borders in July 2021, down 67% from the same month in 2019, but the strongest results since April 2020. This compares to an estimated 34 million international arrivals recorded in July 2020, though well below the 164 million figure recorded in 2019.

Moderate rebound for most destinations

Most destinations reporting data for June and July 2021 saw a moderate rebound in international arrivals compared to 2020. Nevertheless, 2021 continues to be a challenging year for global tourism, with international arrivals down 80% in January-July compared to 2019. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the weakest results in the period January to July, with a 95% drop in international arrivals compared to 2019. The Middle East (-82%) recorded the second largest decline, followed by Europe and Africa (both -77%). The Americas (-68%) saw a comparatively smaller decrease, with the Caribbean showing the best performance among world subregions. Meanwhile, some small islands in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific, together with a few small European destinations recorded the best performance in June and July, with arrivals close to, or sometimes exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

Confidence in travel slowly rising

This improvement was underpinned by the reopening of many destinations to international travel, mostly in Europe and the Americas. The relaxation of travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers, coupled with progress made in the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, contributed to lifting consumer confidence and gradually restoring safe mobility in Europe and other parts of the world. In contrast, most destinations in Asia remain closed to non-essential travel.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “There is clearly a strong demand for international tourism, and many destinations have started welcoming visitors back safely and responsibly. However, the true restart of tourism and the benefits it brings, remain on hold as inconsistent rules and regulations and uneven vaccination rates continue to affect confidence in travel.”

Tourism Earnings

Although destinations continued to report weak international tourism revenues in the first seven months of 2021, several did record a modest improvement in June and July, and some even surpassed the earnings of 2019. Among the larger destinations, Mexico earned roughly the same tourism receipts in June 2021 as in 2019, and in July posted a 2% increase over 2019.

The same is true for outbound travel. Among the larger markets, France (-35%) and the United States (-49%) saw a significant improvement in July, though tourism spending was still well below 2019 levels.

Looking Ahead

Prospects for September-December 2021 remain mixed, according to the latest UNWTO Panel of Experts survey, with 53% of respondents believing the period will be worse than expected. Only 31% of experts expect point to better results towards the end of the year. The survey also shows that most tourism professionals continue to expect a rebound driven by unleashed pent-up demand for international travel in 2022, mostly during the second and third quarters.

Almost half of all experts (45%) continue to see international tourism returning to 2019 levels in 2024 or later, while 43% point to a recovery in 2023. By regions, the largest share of experts pointing to a return to 2019 levels in 2024 or later are in Asia and the Pacific (58%). In Europe, half of respondents indicate this could happen in 2023. The Middle East is the most optimistic, with a full recovery expected by 2022.

First published at TravelCommunication.net – Global Travel News

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News