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13th IFTM-UNWTO Training Programme - Capacity Building for Sustainable Tourism Through Festivals and Events

The IFTM-UNWTO Training Programme on “Sustainable Tourism through Festivals and Events” will be held virtually from 24-26 May 2022.

Given the diverse nature of festivals and events, authorities around the world have started to turn these as innate resources that enrich and diversify a destination’s tourism portfolio, thereby creating a unique destination proposition. These events, encompassing a wide spectrum of typologies from cultural festivities and traditional celebrations to sporting events and shopping bonanzas, offer an invaluable alternative to tourists. Importantly, these events are catalyst for economic, social and environmental development for the communities they serve. This is particularly of relevance during the pandemic when world travel is limited, and destinations strive for and thrive via domestic spending.

The three-day training begins with an important strategic consideration in using festivals and events as part of an overarching strategy to diversify its economy. It then moves on to examine the potential of smaller sports events in generating positive social and economic benefits in the community. The training concludes with a critical examination of how festivals and events can achieve positive economic, social and environmental outcomes that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability is not only a buzzword, but governments around the world and event participants increasingly expect and require the adoption of sustainable practices in events.

This collaborative training programme is specifically designed for decision makers in ministries and administrations of UNWTO Member States in Asia and the Pacific together with participants from the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Theme of the topics to be covered in this online training programme are:

Day 1: Festivals and Events as Tourism Products;
Day 2: Sports Events in Destinations;
Day 3: Benefits of Festivals and Events to Destinations.

Upon completion of this training programme participants will be able to:

  1. Describe and explain how festivals and events can be used to enrich and diversify a destination tourism portfolio to create a unique destination proposition;
  2. Compare and contrast how different types of events as destination’s innate resources can create positive economic, social and environmental outcomes;
  3. Develop a sustainable tourism strategy incorporating festivals and events that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and
  4. Learn from the experiences shared by participating member states in using festivals and events as part of their development of tourism products and its destination tourism strategy.

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Contact information:

UNWTO Secretariat
Mr. Benjamin IONG
Programme Analyst
Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific
Email: biong@unwto.org

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Documents:

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