The First Worldwide UNWTO.TedQual Network Event was held at UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid on 12 and 13 September 2011. The meeting was attended by Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of UNWTO, and Marcio Favilla, Executive Director of Competitiveness, External Relations and Partnerships of UNWTO, who highlighted the role that higher education institutions (with tourism degrees) have on disseminating knowledge, dignifying tourism, and on reducing the existing gaps between employers’ requirements in the sector and the skills acquired by the future professionals.

The event brought together participants from 13 countries who worked on three main areas: the exchange of knowledge on National Higher Tourism Education Systems; the inclusion of the Purposes and Principles of the Code of Ethics for Tourism in their curricula, and the identification of needs in education and tourism at a regional level. The event was attended by UNWTO Regional Directors for Africa, the Americas, Asia & the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, as well as the Programme Director for Ethics and Social Dimension of Tourism and the education representative of the Committee of Ethics for Tourism.

As a result, a transversal programme will be developed for all regions, as well as actions specific to each region’s priorities.