The UNWTO National Executive Training Course in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tourism Heritage Management, organized by the World Tourism Organization, its UNWTO.Themis Foundation and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), was inaugurated on 8th November by Dr. Turki Bin Nadir, SCTH Human Resources General Manager; Mr. Omar Valdez, UNWTO.Themis Foundation Executive Director; Mr. Abdullah Seraj Al Ghamdi, SCTH Training and Development Dpt. Director, Dr. Edit Szivas, the Course Coordinator and the Course facilitator, Dr. Adel Rady.

“Improving the Saudi Arabia tourism sector’s abilities in Tourism Heritage Management is essential to its competitiveness and to help maximize tourism contribution to inclusive development”, said Mr. Omar Valdez, in his introductory speech.

This executive training course will focus on enabling participants to understand how heritage tourism can be used to reinforce destination competitiveness and sustainably whilst minimising negative impacts and maximising visitor satisfaction. Consequently, the course will put an emphasis on introducing participants to current techniques related to heritage interpretation, visitor flow management and financing and will share relevant international and national best practices.

 

The UNWTO National Executive Training Course in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tourism Marketing, organized by the World Tourism Organization, its UNWTO.Themis Foundation and the Saudi Commission of Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), was inaugurated on 8th November b yDr. Turki Bin Nadir, SCTH Human Resources General Manager; Mr. Omar Valdez, UNWTO.Themis Foundation Executive Director; Dr. Edit Szivas, the Course Coordinator and the facilitator of the course, Mr. Mohamed Lotfy.

During his speech, Dr. Turki Bin Nadir encouraged SCTH employees and stakeholders to make the most of this opportunity and benefit from the expertise of the facilitator, UNWTO reports and publications recommended, and the interactive methodology this course proposes.

The Executive Training Course will introduce participants to the latest trends in Tourism Destination Marketing and will enable them to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and practice to develop, deliver and monitor effective destination marketing strategies and activities.

Moreover, this Course will focus on updating the capacity, knowledge and skills of participants to embrace the current thinking and approaches in tourism marketing.

PR No.: PR 16083

Participants discussed city tourism trends including new business models, such as the so-called “sharing economy”, the importance of millennials, emerging niche markets, how to build authentic cultural experiences and engage local communities, safety and security, and congestion management.

The Minister of Antiquities of Egypt, Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Tourism Mohamed Yehia Rashed, Governor of Luxor Mohamed Sayed Badr, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Organizations of Egypt, Hisham Badr, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai and the President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), David Scowsill, addressed the meeting.

“Holding this event in Luxor shows how Egypt and its people are committed to tourism and is a very positive sign that Egypt will recover to be the leading tourism destination it has historically been,” said Minister Rashed.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai expressed the Organization’s full confidence in Egypt’s tourism recovery, recalling that holding such an important meeting in Luxor displays the trust of the international tourism community in the destination.

The High-Level Panel of the Summit, moderated by BBC Travel Show presenter Rajan Datar, stressed the importance of placing tourism high in the urban agenda and creating mechanisms of coordination and joint planning. Issues of congestion management, safety and security, and engagement with host communities were also discussed.

“We should never fear the growth of the tourism sector; it is the way we manage it that makes the difference,” said Mr. Rifai during the panel. He stressed that “a city that does not serve its citizens will not serve its visitors, thus the importance of engaging local communities and tourists”.

Participants also stressed the need to maximize the resources generated by tourism for heritage preservation and renovation, the roles of gastronomy and creative culture in attracting and engaging tourists; and how the 270 million young travelers of today demand new authentic products and connectivity twenty-four seven.

The closing keynote was delivered by Egyptian archaeologist Mr. Zahi Hawass, who shared his exemplary experience.

During the Summit, UNWTO presented its City Tourism Network Action Plan as well as a new initiative – ‘Mayors for Tourism’ – that will see mayors and cities’ decision-makers collaborate on tourism issues.

The 6th UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 2017.

Note to Editors

The UNWTO City Tourism Network is composed of key stakeholders from the public and private sectors working towards policies to encourage the sustainable development of city tourism on local, national and international levels.

Useful links:

5^th UNWTO City Tourism Summit

City Tourism Network Action Plan

Photos of the Event

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

PR No.: PR 16082

Attending the session are some 170 representatives from 40 countries, including 11 ministers and vice ministers of tourism (Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Japan, Republic of Korea; Serbia, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The opening ceremony was presided over by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and the Minister of Tourism of Egypt, Mohamed Yehia Rashed.

“Egypt is a worldwide leader in tourism and will continue to be so. The high level of attendance at this meeting is a confirmation of the confidence of the international tourism community in Egypt. Supporting tourism to Egypt is supporting its future and that of the Egyptian people” said Mr Rifai.

“In many our nations, tourism employs a large part of our labour force and helps to create immense benefits to our communities. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 is a unique opportunity to work together in maximizing the contribution of our sector to protect the environment and cultural heritage” said Minister Yehia Rashed.

Speaking on the importance of promoting a safe, secure and seamless travel framework, the Minister said “We must commit to global efforts and work on restoring confidence in destinations affected by any crises namely by working with the media.“

The Council will also discuss the programme of work of the Organization and the agenda for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

The Executive Council session will be followed on 1-2 November by the 5^th UNWTO City Tourism Summit dedicated to the theme of ‘Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers’.

The 105^th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council will take place in May 2017 in Spain, host country of the Organization.

Note to Editors

The Executive Council is UNWTO’s governing board, responsible for ensuring that the ‎Organization carries out its programme of work. It meets at least twice a year and is ‎composed of 33 members elected by the General Assembly in a ratio of one for every ‎five Full Members. As host country of UNWTO's Headquarters, Spain has a permanent ‎seat on the Executive Council. Representatives of the Associate Members and Affiliate ‎Members participate in Executive Council meetings as observers.

Useful links:

UNWTO Executive Council

5^th UNWTO City Tourism Summit

Flickr

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

PR No.: PR 16079

In order to address issues facing the development of tourism in the SEMED region the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan held a two-day conference in Petra, titled ‘Investing in Tourism for an Inclusive Future: Challenges and Opportunities’.

Held under the patronage of Hani Mulki, the Prime Minister of Jordan, the conference brought together participants from the public and private sectors to discuss the role of tourism in creating job opportunities, promoting energy efficiency and strengthening micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Participants discussed the importance of access to training and appropriate skills to create employment opportunities for young people and women, and explored how to reduce skills mismatches. Compliance with international standards for hospitality, services, food quality and safety, as well as environmental and labour regulations, are vital for the competitiveness of the sector and its development, the conference noted.

Enhancing resource and energy efficiency by implementing and promoting sound policies and improving building standards was another focus of discussion, along with the role of financial institutions and investors as drivers of sustainable tourism.

In addition, participants considered how to strengthen the role and competitiveness of MSMEs in the tourism value chain. Sectors such as transport, handicrafts, hospitality, gastronomy, furniture and electronic appliances are interlinked with the tourism sector and can benefit significantly from its development. Yet, maximising the potential of tourism requires strong, coordinated action in areas such as market access, the movement of travellers, services, goods, quality and standards, and foreign direct investment.

“Despite the challenges that the SEMED region currently faces, it has tremendous potential for tourism as demonstrated by its record growth over the years. We must recall that tourism accounts for 15 per cent of the total exports of the region and that over the last 10 years international tourist arrivals increased from 48 million to 71 million in the MENA region alone. Considering tourism’s capacity to promote economic growth and advance inclusive development, we believe that this conference and its focus on investment will contribute to reviving the sector in the region,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

Mattia Romani, EBRD Managing Director for Economics, Policy and Governance, said: “Job creation and skills development, energy efficiency and MSMEs are priorities for the EBRD and by supporting the tourism sector we are targeting the various components to strengthen economic growth in the region. We also believe that an inclusive and thriving tourism sector that creates good jobs, in particular for young people, helps foster peace; when young people have good jobs, they also have incentives and ambitions to continue to grow, establish businesses, invest and, therefore, maintain such peace and stability. Together with UNWTO we are working to strengthen related policies and develop a sustainable sector.”

HE Lina Mazhar Annab, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan, said: “Tourism is one of the most important socio-economic sectors in Jordan contributing close to 11 per cent to the gross domestic product. The government of Jordan realises the importance of this sector in generating revenue as well as in creating employment opportunities and has launched a number of economic reforms and incentives to facilitate investment in the country’s tourism. We need to continue providing all the necessary incentives to attract local and foreign direct investments in tourism because this sector generates jobs, empowers small and medium enterprises, and contributes heavily to the preservation and promotion of the natural and cultural heritage”.

Among the challenges for the sector, participants stressed the quality of the business environment (including public-private dialogue, political stability, security, visa facilitation, sanitation and health conditions, energy costs and other production factors); access to finance; availability of a workforce with appropriate skills; compliance with international standards (in hospitality, services, food quality and safety, environmental and labour regulations); and access to tourist destinations (including the quality and availability of infrastructure, such as airports and ports).

A common roadmap

The Conference drafted the Petra Declaration on Investing in Tourism for an Inclusive Future. The Declaration calls on the private sector, investors, financial institutions, governments, academics and civil society to ensure that tourism development is based on responsible and sustainable planning, evidence-based decision making and the involvement of all stakeholders, including host communities and disadvantaged groups of society. The provision of fair access to quality training as well as employment opportunities for youth and women are also stressed in the Declaration.

Lastly, the Declaration pledges to build an inclusive and sustainable tourism sector based on human rights, social and economic justice and equality, including alignment with the principles of the International Labour Organization’s Decent Work Agenda.

Useful links:

Programme of the conference

Draft of the Declaration

Flickr

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

EBRD Communications Adviser Nibal Zgheib

Tel: (+44) 207 338 7753 / ZgheibN@ebrd.com

PR No.: PR 16075

Under the patronage of Jordan’s Prime Minister Hani Mulki, the conference will gather the ministers of tourism from Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Palestine and Tunisia, alongside representatives from the private sector, investment funds, tourism companies and associations.

Moderated by CNN Money Emerging Markets Editor John Defterios, participants at the high level panel will discuss how tourism can promote inclusive development in the southern and eastern Mediterranean with a particular focus on human capital, energy efficiency and micro, small and medium-sized-enterprises.

The partnership between UNWTO and the EBRD  aims at supporting inclusive and sustainable tourism, building on UNWTO’s expertise in capacity building and the EBRD’s longstanding financial support for the private sector.

Useful links:

Conference programme and website

Latest International Tourism Trends and Data

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: +34 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: +34 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

EBRD Communications Adviser, Nibal Zgheib

Tel: +44 207 338 7753 / ZgheibN@ebrd.com

PR No.: PR 16073

Tourism has become a central component of the economy, social life and geography of many cities in the world and is ideally positioned to seize the opportunities provided by urbanization. Yet many challenges are emerging, including the need to effectively manage the growth of tourism in many cities around the globe.

The 5th Global Summit on City Tourism: “Cities: Local Culture for Global Travellers” will discuss city tourism trends and debate themes such as sustainable development, spatial organization and rejuvenation, innovation in city tourism, cross-cultural behaviour, and new business models or the so‑called ‘sharing economy’.

The development of clusters that engage public and private players from all sectors is central to the new paradigm of city tourism development, in which tourism needs to be a tool for social cohesion and cultural preservation, beyond its fundamental contribution to economic activity.

Within the framework of the Conference, UNWTO will officially launch the City Tourism Network, a forum offering participants an opportunity to learn the objectives and main lines of action of the network. The City Tourism Network is composed of key stakeholders from the public and private sectors working towards policies to encourage the sustainable development of City Tourism on local, national and international levels. In particular, the new initiative “Mayors for Tourism” will be presented, aiming to gather mayors and decision-makers from cities around the world to discuss and collaborate on tourism issues. The Mayors for Tourism Initiative aims to promote the important role of tourism as a driving force for socio economic development in cities, and prioritize the sector in the urban agenda.

Mayors of world cities have been invited to share best practices in managing the challenges and opportunities that tourism presents to local administrations and to propose formulas to align their tourism‑related policies with those of national governments.

The Summit will be preceded by the 104^th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council, taking place in Luxor on 30 October-1 November 2016.

Useful links:

Programme of the Conference

Registration

UNWTO Global Report on City Tourism

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer: Rut Gómez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@UNWTO.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

 

 

The UNWTO Course in Egypt on Tourism for Diplomats, organized by the World Tourism Organization, its UNWTO.Themis Foundation, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, was inaugurated on 3rd October by H.E. Mr. Yehia Rashed, Minister of Tourism; H.E. Amb Heba Al Marassi, Director of the Institute of Diplomatic Studies; and Mr. Amr Abdel-Ghaffar, UNWTO Regional Director for the Middle East.  

The objective of this course is to provide participants with knowledge, skills, and a forum for discussion and reflection on Tourism so that, by the end of the course, diplomats will be able to carry out the duties of international tourism relations and tourism promotion.

These initiatives blend presentations with workshop activities: the former aim at promoting active learning through a calibrated mix of theory and practical examples, while the latter aim at actively involving participants in a collaborative process.