PR No.: PR11067

The project, counting on funds of euro 2 million from the European Union, will provide vocational tourism training in Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal and Vietnam – countries where tourism is increasingly a leading source of employment and economic growth.

Government and private vocational training institutions will work together to strengthen their capacity to reach and properly attend the informal sector demand for training. Workers and entrepreneurs will receive practical tourism training in major working areas to further their technical and management skills and increase their income possibilities, as well as their resilience to potential crisis situations. Participants will also benefit from links established through the project with the mainstream tourism sector, which will open opportunities for entrepreneurs and workers.     

Each of the seven pilot countries is home to one or more of UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) and/or Technical Cooperation projects which aim at reducing poverty among the local community through sustainable forms of tourism. Local communities involved in these projects will directly benefit from HITT, which will be implemented through a multi-stakeholders alliance involving national and local governments, syndicates, technical and vocational education and training providers, and private sector.

Tourism is one of the world’s largest job creators and currently accounts for one in every twelve jobs globally. HITT will be largely directed towards the most vulnerable groups of society, such as rural communities, youth and women, among which unemployment is particularly high and where tourism is a key employment opportunity.

Note to Editors:

Since 2004, UNWTO and SNV have been working together to reduce poverty levels through sustainable tourism. Together the two organizations have provided technical and financial support to over 50 ST-EP projects worldwide, as well as several UNWTO Technical Cooperation projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans.

Relevant links:

The HITT Initiative

UNWTO Technical Cooperation and Services

Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty

SNV – Netherlands Development Organisation

European Commission External Cooperation Programme

For media inquiries please contact:

UNWTO - Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

SNV  - Global HITT Program Leader: Monica Oliveros

Tel : (+977) -1-5523444
 

About us

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO: www.UNWTO.org), a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization with the decisive and central role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how. Its membership includes 154 countries, 7 territories, 2 permanent observers and over 400 Affiliate Members. Follow us on twitter, vimeo and flickr .

SNV is a non-profit, international development organisation, established in the Netherlands in 1965. It has been present on the ground in developing countries for over 40 years, and now operate in 36 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans . It aim is to alleviate poverty by enabling those on the lowest incomes to be part of social and economic networks and so increase their income and employment opportunities.

Disclaimer: “This press release has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this press release are the sole responsibility of UNWTO and SNV and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.”