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II CONGRESO LATINOAMERICANO DE TURISMO AGROECOLÓGICO "REPENSAR EL TURISMO AGROECOLÓGICO": RESILIENCIA, EDUCACIÓN, TECNOLOGÍA Y BIODIVERSIDAD

Submitted by UN Tourism on Tue, 08/16/2022 - 10:09
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II CONGRESO LATINOAMERICANO DE TURISMO AGROECOLÓGICO "REPENSAR EL TURISMO AGROECOLÓGICO": RESILIENCIA, EDUCACIÓN, TECNOLOGÍA Y BIODIVERSIDAD
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La Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Occidentales "Ezequiel Zamora" Barinas
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Dominican Republic Among UNWTO Members Reporting Strong Tourism Rebound

Dominican Republic Among UNWTO Members Reporting Strong Tourism Rebound

UNWTO has warmly welcomed the first data on summer arrivals from its Member States.

As international travel returns in many parts of the world, several Members are starting to report strong numbers both for arrivals and tourist spending. This is in spite of the fact the sector continues to face a number of challenges, among them the ongoing pandemic, rising interest rates and cost of living levels, and heightened economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

From the Dominican Republic, Minister of Tourism David Collado, has advised UNWTO of record arrival numbers for April, May, June and July. Notably, arrivals in July were 24% higher than in 2019, putting the country on course for its best year on record, including in terms of sales taxes and income generation. In response, UNWTO has sent its congratulations to the Minister and commends the Dominican Republic for its strong and ongoing support for tourism. UNWTO also notes the invaluable contribution of the private sector, as exemplified by the Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES), which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary.

This growth comes even as destinations across the Dominican Republic continue to miss tourists from Russia and Ukraine, two historically strong source markets. In recognition of its leading status as a resilient destination, the Dominican Republic was the focus of the first UNWTO Investment Guidelines publication, released at the start of 2022. Developed alongside the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic and the national Export and Investment Center (PRODOMINICANA), the new guide provides key insights for investors, with the aim of boosting foreign direct investment in the Caribbean destination.

The Dominican Republic will also host the 118th session of the UNWTO Executive Council in the first quarter of 2023.

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Bogotá, COLOMBIA

Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory

Member since

2022

Hosted by

Bogotá’s Tourism Office (DMO)

Monitoring area

Bogotá, Colombia

The Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory is part of the Bogotá’s Tourism Office (Destination Management Office – DMO), a public establishment of the district order, attached to the District Secretariat for Economic Development (SDDE), which aims to implement policies, plans, and programs for the promotion of tourism and the positioning of the city as a sustainable tourist destination. At the top administrative level is the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá. There is no administrative level lower than the Tourism Observatory.

FACTS & FIGURES

MISSION

The main goal of the Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory is to develop, produce and analyze the statistical and non-statistical operations required for the tourism sector in Bogotá, through the systematization, research, and dissemination of information; safeguarding the reliability, consistency, and timeliness of the results obtained, for planning and decision making aimed at the economic and sustainable development of the city’s tourism industry in coordination with the local, regional, national and international levels.

CURRENT MONITORING PROCESSES

The Bogota’s Tourism Observatory has a long history and experience in monitoring tourism information, consolidating its sources of information, being the most outstanding the Bogota Travelers Research, which from the collection in air and land terminals has managed to consolidate information on tourist flows in an uninterrupted series since 2010 through publications involving travel characteristics associated with the trip, origin of tourists, the reason for travel, gender, age, travel group, educational level, occupation, transport used, place of accommodation, tourist expenditure, expenditure distribution, overnight stays, and activities conducted during the stay. Likewise, the Observatory has ventured into the analysis of spatial information through the mapping of tourism scenarios, as well as the different tourism service providers in the city. Recently, the use of dashboard tools has allowed a better presentation and visualization of the information produced and the use of techniques such as Web Scraping.

KEY MONITORING AREAS

Accessibility
Climate Change and Tourism
Destination Economic Benefit
Employment
Tourism Seasonality
Sewage Management
Energy and Water Management
Governance
Solid Waste Management
Local Satisfaction with Tourism

DID YOU KNOW...

The study conducted by the Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory in 2021 “Tourism and Poverty: Contribution of Tourism to Poverty Reduction” found from an econometric analysis, a cointegration between tourism development and the reduction of the poverty index. These results show how an improvement in tourism development, in terms of increased tourist arrivals, tourism spending, investments, and employment, among others, can have important multiplier effects on the reduction of the poverty index.

The result of the model shows that, if tourism GDP in the city of Bogotá increases by 1%, the city’s poverty index would decrease by 3.36%, ceteris paribus, a higher contribution than the one obtained with the GDP of financial and insurance activities (IDT, 2021).

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Bogotá Joins the UNWTO Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories

Bogotá Joins the UNWTO Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories

UNWTO has welcomed Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory into its International Network of Sustainable Observatories (INSTO).

Bogotá´s Tourism Observatory has longstanding and extensive monitoring experience and has been further strengthened by the City Council as an instrument of public management and mechanism to consolidate, systematize, analyze and research information of the tourism sector. Becoming a member of INSTO will help Bogotá in managing tourism development in a responsible and sustainable manner and allow it to better deal with post-pandemic recovery.

We are very pleased to welcome Bogotá into the Network as the latest member

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The INSTO network is a platform where we welcome Observatories that are committed to basing the sustainable development of tourism on evidence, participatory approaches and transparency. We are very pleased to welcome Bogotá into the Network as the latest member.”

Inclusive future for Bogotá´s tourism

Bogotá is home to a wide variety of tourist resources and attractions and has an infrastructure that allows for the development of different high-quality tourism products. As the most popular Colombian destination in terms of tourist numbers, arrivals in 2021 reached almost 6 million, with growth of 49.8% in relation to 2020, contributing US$5.795 billion corresponding to 2.4% of the total GDP of the city, which meant an annual increase of 38.2% between 2020 and 2021. Within the Sustainable Tourism Policy of Colombia 2022, the vision of strengthening the reputation and recognition of Colombia as a sustainable tourism destination is clearly outlined.

The Vice Minister of Tourism Ricardo Galindo Bueno assured that "for the Vice Ministry of Tourism it is great news that the Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory is part of the UNWTO INSTO network, because a tool of these characteristics and qualities, allows public policies of the sector in the district to continue to be nourished by objective measurements that improve decision making".

Director of the District Institute of Tourism (IDT), Karol Fajardo Mariño explained: "The adhesion of the Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory to the UNWTO INSTO Network will allow us to share with other tourist destinations experiences and development and measurement strategies based on exemplary sustainability, in an effort to respond to the needs of quality tourism information demanded by the sector.”

The Bogotá’s Tourism Observatory will monitor 11 key areas for tourism sustainability: tourism seasonality, employment, economic benefits of the destination, energy management, water management, wastewater management, solid waste management, climate action, accessibility, local satisfaction and governance, which will facilitate decision-making and the processes of formulating public policies and strengthening the sustainable development of our city.

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The Yukon, CANADA

The Yukon Sustainable Tourism Observatory

Member since

2022

Hosted by

The Government of Yukon

Monitoring area

The Yukon

Alongside the 11 First Nations that have signed Self Government Agreements, the Observatory delivers programs and services to the people of the Yukon and operates at one level below the Government of Canada, which serves all of Canada’s territories and provinces.

FACTS & FIGURES

MONITORING AREA

483,450 km2

of monitoring area

42,827 

inhabitants

VISITORS

491,300

in 2018

4.3 nights

Average length of stay

$399

Expenses per person per trip

 

ACCOMMODATION*

*hotels and other establishment

122

in 2019

4,127

beds

OTHERS

United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Termany

Primary source markets

9%

Tourism jobs in 2019

5%

Tourism jobs in 2018

MISSION

For tourism to be a sustainable, vibrant component of the Yukon’s economy and society and for the benefit of future generations with the following core values:

Love our Yukon
Encourage a thriving tourism sector
Preserve and enjoy our natural environment
Honour our heritage
Celebrate our cultures
Build healthy communities
Develop partnerships
Foster innovation
Keep residents and visitors healthy and safe

CURRENT MONITORING PROCESSES

 The Government of Yukon currently monitors sustainable tourism in a number of ways, including:
Annual reports on tourism
Quarterly tourism indicator reports
Visitor exit survey reports, produced every 5 years
Revenues and GDP attributable to tourism, monitored every 2 years
Tourism employment, every 3 years
Residents perceptions of tourism, every 2 years
Greenhouse gas emissions attributable to tourism, every 5 years
Yukon business survey reports, every 2 years

KEY MONITORING AREAS

(In addition to UNWTO mandatory indicators)
Infrastructure
Natural environment
Cultural sustainability
Resident travel and pride
Health and safety
Visitor sentiment

DID YOU KNOW...

There are five main ways to enter Yukon by road: three are via Alaska and two are via British Columbia.

Two airlines provide year-round service to the Yukon form within Canada and two airlines provide seasonal service. Domestic seat capacity to/from the Yukon was approximately 309,000 in 2018, and international seat capacity was 4,600 in 2018.

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CONTACT

YUKON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM OBSERVATORY

http://www.yukon.ca/sustainabletourism

ystf@yukon.ca

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UNWTO’s Members in the Americas Advance Common Goals

UNWTO’s Members in the Americas Advance Common Goals

The American Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have met to assess the current state of the sector and plan for its sustainable future. The 67th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas brought tourism leaders from across the region together in the leading destination of Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Across two days, Tourism Ministers and other high-level representatives, including private sector leaders and delegates form international organizations reviewed UNWTO’s leadership of the sector over the past year, with Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili’s report focused on key international tourism trends and the Organization’s key priorities for the region, including work around education and investments.

High-level support of hosts

Tourism has proven potential to inspire change and drive growth across the Americas

The Regional Commission was inaugurated by the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, who was joined Minister of Tourism and host of the gathering, Tabaré Viera, and by the country’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Francisco Bustillo. The meeting came just two weeks after Uruguay hosted a global UNESCO conference, reflecting the country’s commitment to multilateral cooperation and support for the mission and values of the United Nations, among which tourism for development is key.

President Lacalle welcomed the UNWTO leadership, stating that tourism remains a key part of Uruguay’s state economic policy, and the Commission meeting “emphasized the importance of everyone working for the reactivation of tourism”, both in Uruguay and across the wider region.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism has proven potential to inspire change and drive growth across the Americas and UNWTO’s Member States of the region are showing the way forward in building a tourism sector that works for everyone, with sustainability and inclusiveness at its heart.”

Alongside the Commission Meeting, both met in private to further deepen the already-strong partnership between UNWTO and Uruguay, a key ally in the region and promoter of tourism for development across the Americas, including through high-level multilateral platforms and organizations.

Minister Tabaré Viera underscored Uruguay’s commitment to restart tourism, reminding participants that this first major tourism gathering in Uruguay since the start of the pandemic, sent a clear message beyond the region itself. The Minister also announced that Uruguay will adhere to the UNWTO International Code for the Protection of Tourists, and so be among the first countries in the world to take firm steps to restore confidence in international travel, further emphasizing Uruguay's commitment to tourism and to keeping tourists safe and protected.

Turning challenges into opportunities

UNWTO Members addressed the key challenges facing tourism today and opportunities for recovery and growth. The debates among member states were complemented by special interventions, including the presentation the Tourism Promotion Hub for Latin America, Latina Tower, in New York City, and by the Latin American Development Bank (CAF).

CAF, the leading investor in infrastructure across the region, addressed for the first time a UNWTO governing body, advancing the newly-established partnership between the Bank and UNWTO. Alongside this, a policy discussion on “Accelerating Recovery and Building Resilience”, benefitted from insights of leaders from across the region,  

Generating trust

Within the framework of the Regional Commission, Members met for a seminar on the UNWTO International Code for the Protection of Tourists. The landmark legal code, designed to offer tourists more protection and so increase confidence in international travel, was adopted by Members at the UNWTO General Assembly in 2021. Two countries of the Americas, Ecuador and Paraguay have already made steps to incorporating it into national legislation, while Uruguay will initiate the corresponding process. UNWTO’s legal experts provided updates on the implementation and workings of the Code, with a focus on addressing existing gaps in the provision of assistance to tourists caught in emergency situations, drawing from lessons of the pandemic.

Next Steps

On the side-lines of the Regional Commission meeting, Secretary-General Pololikashvili met with the Minister of Tourism of Brazil, Carlos Brito, and then separately with Minister of Tourism from Guatemala, Ms. Anayansy Rodríguez, to discuss their countries’ tourism sectors and opportunities to work more closely with UNWTO in the post-pandemic recovery phase.  
To conclude, Members States voted to hold the 68th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas in Ecuador in the first half of 2023.

UNWTO’s Members in the Americas Advance Common Goals

UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas

Turning challenges into opportunities
UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas

UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas

Turning challenges into opportunities
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UNWTO and Save the Children partner for education for the future in Central America and the Caribbean

UNWTO and Save the Children partner for education for the future in Central America and the Caribbean

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Save the Children Dominican Republic have launched a new challenge to promote the development of educational ideas and experiences through the tourism sector in Central America and the Caribbean.

The challenge seeks innovative and technological proposals in 'Early Stage' development that offer new educational opportunities through the tourism sector. The challenge has two categories:

  • New technologies: People or startups that promote the use of technology to provide solutions to the tourism and education sector.
  • Local impact: People or startups that promote transformation and social improvement, and that belong to the tourism and education sector.

Tourism is a leading provider of opportunities for young people throughout Central America and the Caribbean

According to Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, “tourism is a leading provider of opportunities for young people throughout Central America and the Caribbean, and innovation and new technologies can help us reach more young people, allowing them to benefit as tourism returns to the region.”

"For our organization, the launch of this challenge represents a unique opportunity to capitalize on the potential of the tourism sector in our country and the region, thus generating innovation in favor of childhood education with a high social impact," says Juan Tomás Díaz, President Save the Children Dominicana.

Tourism for the SDGs

Projects must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. Additionally, they must be framed in one (or several) of the following areas:

  • The management of destinations or the private management of solutions/products/services developed around and education as tourism and education products;
  • Seeking a balance between sustainable development and the profitability of the project, maximizing its positive impacts.
  • The connection with the market and the user experience in all phases of the journey

Applications are open until 25 June, 2022. The winning projects will be selected based on several criteria, such as the degree of innovation, and its viability and sustainability. The winners will be invited to the Tourism Tech Adventure in the Dominican Republic that will take place in November 2022.

Tourism education for empowerment

Tourism is one of the largest sectors in the world, accounting for more than 4% of direct global GDP in 2019. In the Americas, the contribution of tourism to regional GDP fell from 3.4% to 1.6% during the pandemic. Central America and the Caribbean represent 4.8% of global international arrivals, and reflect the potential in all tourism sub-sectors, and their needs for good training and education.

After the effects of COVID-19, this sector is reinventing itself to achieve more responsible, innovative and accessible tourism. The pandemic has also disrupted education systems around the world, highlighting that digital learning must become an essential service available to all. This means that all children and young people have access to first-rate digital solutions that facilitate personalized learning and open the doors to a better future.

UNWTO supports digital education and innovation initiatives promoted by Startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, which will play a leading role in the revival of tourism in the coming years.

Zurab Pololikashvili

Zurab Pololikashvili

Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization
Tourism for the SDGs

Tourism for the SDGs

UNWTO and Save the Children
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Tourism Leaders Putting UNWTO Vision into Action

Tourism Leaders Putting UNWTO Vision into Action

UNWTO has welcomed a pledge made by tourism leaders at the Adventure Next Latin America summit to realign the sector along a path of greater resilience and sustainability.

The tourism trade event welcomed the Ministers of Tourism of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras, alongside high/level representatives of the governments of both Brazil and Jordan. Joining them were private sector leaders, brought together by the Adventure Travel and Trade Association (ATTA).

The summit culminated in all parties signing the Declaration: “Transformation Towards the Future of Tourism”, a clear commitment to act on UNWTO’s call for the public and private sectors to work together and seize the opportunity to place sustainability and inclusivity at the heart of the sector’s restart and recovery. The Declaration states: “the future of tourism is collaborative, bringing together the ancestral wisdom of local and indigenous communities with pioneering scientific and economic knowledge in service to long-term stewardship of integrated ecosystems”.

At the same time, the Declaration also makes clear the signatories’ commitment to advance “transformation towards a carbon-neutral and more socially resilient tourism economy”. In November, Panama was one of the founding signatories of the Glasgow Declaration of Climate Action in Tourism, launched by UNWTO at the COP26 summit.

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UNWTO Welcomes Newest Member, Antigua and Barbuda

UNWTO Welcomes Newest Member, Antigua and Barbuda

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met the Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda for the first time since the country became UNWTO’s 160th Member State.

The Caribbean destination became UNWTO’s newest Member State and eighth in the Caribbean region when its application was approved by the 24th Session of the General Assembly in December 2021. The Government appointed Dr. Dario Item, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Spain as its Permanent Representative to the UNWTO as well as its Head of Permanent Mission to the Organization.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili warmly welcomed Dr Item, receiving his credentials at the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid. Given the importance of tourism to the islands, the restart of tourism will bring economic growth and social opportunities. In 2020, Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 125,000 international arrivals and tourism receipts totalled US$349 million.

Now as a Member State, UNWTO and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda will work together to enhance the sector's importance as a pillar of sustainable development, with innovation and tourism education shared priorities.

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Dominican Republic the Focus of First UNWTO Tourism Investment Guide

Dominican Republic the Focus of First UNWTO Tourism Investment Guide

UNWTO has launched the first in a series of tourism investment guidelines focused on a specific country. Developed alongside the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic and the national Export and Investment Center (PRODOMINICANA), the new guide provides key insights for investors, with the aim of boosting foreign direct investment in the Caribbean destination.

Launched against the backdrop of the FITUR tourism trade fair in Madrid, the Investment Guidelines represent a comprehensive tool for parties interested in FDI opportunities. In particular, it aims to attract and promote and retain investment in sustainable tourism initiatives in the Dominican Republic, including those that provide local jobs and build greater resilience across the sector. The guide showcases the potential of closer public-private collaboration and makes clear the importance of directing investments towards building new tourism business models centres on innovation and sustainability.

As the UNWTO guide notes, the Dominican Republic represents one of the most competitive opportunities for investors for a number of reasons, excellent geographic location, solid legal framework, economic stability, and modern infrastructure.

Leading investment destination

According to data compiled by UNWTO and fDi Markets of the Financial Times, some 26 tourism projects in the Dominican Republic received about US$5.7 billion in tourism greenfield investments between 2016 and 2020. At the same time, the country has experienced an annual rate of growth in GDP of around 5% for the past 25 years, double the regional average. Over recent years, the Government of the Dominican Republic has worked to further attract FDI, including through the restructuring of free trade zones, incentives for investment in tourism and the signing of DR-CAFTA. (Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement).

In 2021, the economy of the Dominican Republic recovered and reached pre-pandemic levels of growth. Notably, around 38% of this recovery was the product of the tourism sector. According to figures from the Ministry of Tourism (MITUR), as of December 2021, around 300,000 jobs were secured by the recovery of tourism, the result of the Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan led by the President of the Republic, Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona. The Plan, which saw tourism workers vaccinated as early as possible, allowed the country to be among the first of all global destinations to reopen its borders.

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