Destination Capital (DC) has signed a collaborative arrangement with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations to support the rejuvenation of the hotel industry. The arrangement supports the relationship DC has with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to promote investment in green and sustainable tourism accommodation and to stimulate re-employment, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The collaboration between UNWTO and Destination Capital is based on DC’s adoption of best practices aimed at reducing carbon emissions and operating hotels in a manner consistent with IFC’s environmental and social criteria. Against this backdrop, DC acquires and repositions freehold hotels of 150-250 rooms in Thailand and across South-East Asia with the aim of implementing sustainable water and energy systems. It also works to promote gender equality at every level of the hospitality sector, another of UNWTO’s core priorities and in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 5.
While governments and destinations around the world are working on vaccination programs to accelerate the restart of the tourism, UNWTO is working with the private sector to encourage employers to play their part in the recovery of local communities through job creation and training programs. UNWTO data shows that international tourism arrivals fell by 1 billion in 2020, with the crisis carrying over into 2021. Worldwide, this has placed as many as 120 million tourism jobs directly at risk. Moreover, Asia and the Pacific has been the worst-affected of all global regions, and young workers and women are among the hardest hit by the downturn in tourism employment.
In line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, DC recognizes the hotel industry not only has a responsibility to re-hire and re-train hotel staff. It is also increasingly under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and mitigate the impact of energy and water consumption as well as food waste and environmental degradation. DC is committed to retrofitting its hotels to be compliant as ‘green hotel’s as per the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) standards established by IFC.
About Destination Capital
Destination Capital is a private equity real estate investment company based in Bangkok Thailand which focuses on acquiring, renovating and repositioning hotel assets such that they are EDGE compliant and follow a rigorous sustainability protocol in order to unlock value for our capital partners. Rigorous asset manage programs are in place to yield higher values upon exit while pursuing a “Triple Bottom Line” strategy: Planet, People, Profit.
Message of the Executive Director
We enjoyed a strong end to 2020 in terms of technical assistance we provided to UNWTO Member States. Seven projects were successfully completed in Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Aruba, Myanmar, UAE, Seychelles, and Saudi Arabia. Together, these projects had a total value of US$ 365,000.
The release of the “COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Technical Assistance Package” in May 2020 allowed UNWTO to both strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones, expanding the network of donors for the implementation of technical assistance projects. Structured around three main pillars: economic recovery; marketing and promotion; and institutional strengthening and resilience building, the package offers guidance to public and private tourism sector stakeholders in their crisis response. Firstly, it outlines UNWTO’s range of technical assistance, and, secondly, it details potential areas of intervention, including impact assessment, roles and responsibilities.
Among the first to collaborate with UNWTO in the implementation of the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Package was the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Bank signed a framework Agreement with UNWTO to deliver technical assistance to a selected group of priority countries for the swift recovery of their tourism sectors post COVID-19. Target countries include Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Croatia, and Montenegro. In the Dominican Republic, Greece, Maldives, and Zambia other COVID-19 related projects are being launched or implemented in 2021.
In the new year, UNWTO expanded its network of donors with ADB and IADB and the current portfolio of the UNWTO Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department. Through this network, 51 projects are being implemented on the ground, with a total budget of US $9.5 million. I hope this edition of “UNWTO On the Ground” gives an overview of the extent and range of technical assistance that UNWTO is providing to its Member States during this most challenging time for the tourism sector.
Shanzhong Zhu
Executive Director
The biggest crisis in the history of tourism continues into a second year. Between January and May, international tourist arrivals were 85% below 2019 levels (or a 65% drop on 2020), UNWTO data shows. Despite a small uptick in May, the emergence of COVID-19 variants and the continued imposition of restrictions are weighing on the recovery of international travel. Meanwhile, domestic tourism continues to rebound in many parts of the world.
The latest UNWTO data shows that over the first five months of the year, world destinations recorded 147 million fewer international arrivals (overnight visitors) compared to the same period of 2020, or 460 million less than pre-pandemic year of 2019. However, the data does point to a relatively small upturn in May, with arrivals declining by 82% (versus May 2019), after falling by 86% in April. This slight upward trend emerged as some destinations started to ease restrictions and consumer confidence rose slightly.
Accelerating the pace of vaccination worldwide, working on effective coordination and communication on ever changing travel restrictions while advancing digital tools to facilitate mobility will be critical to rebuild trust in travel and restart tourism
Rebuild trust to restart tourism
“Accelerating the pace of vaccination worldwide, working on effective coordination and communication on ever changing travel restrictions while advancing digital tools to facilitate mobility will be critical to rebuild trust in travel and restart tourism” says UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
By regions, Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the largest decline with a 95% drop in international arrivals in the first five months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. Europe (-85%) recorded the second largest decline in arrivals, followed by the Middle East (-83%) and Africa (-81%). The Americas (-72%) saw a comparatively smaller decrease. In June, the number of destinations with complete closure of borders decreased to 63, from 69 in February. Of these, 33 were in Asia and the Pacific, while just seven in Europe, the region with the fewest restrictions on travel currently in place.
By subregions, the Caribbean (-60%) recorded the best relative performance through May 2021. Growing travel from the United States has benefitted destinations in the Caribbean and Central America, as well as Mexico. Western Europe, Southern and Mediterranean Europe, South America and Central America saw slightly better results in May than in April.
Mixed outlook for remainder of 2021
International tourism is slowly picking up, though recovery remains very fragile and uneven. Rising concerns over the Delta variant of the virus have led several countries to reimpose restrictive measures. In addition, the volatility and lack of clear information on entry requirements could continue to weigh on the resumption of international travel during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season. However, vaccination programmes around the world, together with softer restrictions for vaccinated travellers and the use of digital tools such as the EU Digital COVID Certificate, are all contributing to the gradual normalization of travel.
In addition, domestic travel is driving the recovery in many destinations, especially those with large domestic markets. Domestic air seat capacity in China and Russia has already exceeded pre-crisis levels, while domestic travel in the United States is strengthening further.
The bulletin of UNWTO’s Affiliate Members from the tourism sector
Dear Affiliate Members,
I am pleased to share with you the Vol. 33 of our AM News Bulletin.
In the last month we made great progress on several activities that were included in the
Programme of Work for 2021.
I refer in particular to the process of reform of the legal framework of the affiliate membership,
which is part of our efforts to provide better services to the Affiliate Members by building up a
better-defined structure of our procedures and management system. In the last meeting of the
WG-AMLR held in June the last package of articles was approved by its members and in July the
final text of the Legal Framework of the UNWTO Affiliate Membership will be approved.
Furthermore, we continue developing the activities of our Working Groups. The WG on Scientific
Tourism continues to make great steps in the organization of the 1st International Conference
on Astrotourism that will take place in Evora (Portugal) from 8-11 of September, and the WG on
SDGs support is now discussing proposals for joint cooperation among the members, including
an Online course on Tourism and SDGs.
We are also working on the organization of two important events with our partners: the Platino
Awards Gala “17 Awards, 17 SDGs”, in collaboration with EGEDA, that will be held in Madrid from
27 September – 2 October, and the World Sports Tourism Congress with the Catalan Tourism
Board, that will be celebrated in Lloret de Mar the 25-26 of November.
Even more importantly, we are already preparing our participation in the UNWTO 24th General
Assembly, that will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, between the end of November and the
beginning of December. This is the most important statutory meeting of our Organization,
and we will make our best efforts to organize a successful Plenary Session of the Affiliate Members,
along with guaranteeing the highest visibility to our activities and participation of our members.
Lastly, with aim of adding value to the membership and supporting our Affiliate Members, we
organized the first webinar on how to maximize the use of our interactive platform AMConnected.
This was one of the main requests by our Affiliate Members highlighted in the survey that was
launched in April.
As always, I am at your disposal and look forward to hearing any comments you might have.
Yours sincerely,
Ion Vilcu
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the world’s first standard on accessible tourism, ISO 21902 Tourism and related services – Accessible tourism for all – Requirements and recommendations. This is an international standard offering guidelines to ensure access and enjoyment of tourism for all on an equal basis.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Fundación ONCE and UNE (Asociación Española de Normalización) led the development of this pioneering, cross-cutting standard on an international level, focusing on accessible tourism throughout the whole value chain of the tourism sector.
This is a business that in the European Union represents a potential market of 80 million persons, or 130 million if companions are included. Moreover, the market is growing considering the population pyramid in many European countries, and this is also the case for other parts of the world.
As from today, this standard is available in Spanish as UNE-ISO 21902, having been translated and included in the UNE national catalogue of standards. It addresses service providers and tourism operators as well as public administrations and tourism destinations.
The UNE-ISO 21902 standard establishes requirements and recommendations for accessible tourism. For example, in order for a beach to be considered accessible, it must offer showers, toilets and a route that can be used by all. Also, accessible pedestrian routes in a natural environment must provide, amongst other requirements, a continuous, firm and stable floor and signalling and must offer details on the itinerary before the start of the route. In general, in their written communications, tourism establishments must use clear and simple language following a logical sequence, with images and graphic symbols where appropriate, and with contrasting colours and easy-to-read fonts.
It is hoped that the standard will become a key tool for enforcing the right of everyone to enjoy tourism and leisure. In spite of advances over recent decades, in many countries there is still much to be done before the tourism sector takes into account the needs of the more than 1 billion persons with disabilities in the world.
Because of the way in which environments, infrastructure and a wide range of tourism services have been conceived, tourists with disabilities often face challenges starting from the actual planning of their trip and including their experience in the destination. This standard aims to trigger change.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, UNWTO, Fundación ONCE and UNE, together with experts, will hold an awareness campaign addressing their members and associates to stress the harmonization of accessible tourism on a global scale by means of standards.
This worldwide standard was developed by the International Standardization Committee ISO/TC 228 on Tourism and related services, in which UNWTO coordinated working group WG14 bringing together 85 experts from more than 35 countries and five relevant organizations in this area who were responsible for the drafting. Fundación ONCE held the technical leadership and UNE provided the secretariat and coordinated with ISO.
About Fundación ONCE
Fundación ONCE for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities is an instrument for solidarity within the ONCE. It was set up in 1988 to improve the living conditions of other groups of persons with disabilities, by means of programmes for inclusion in the world of work and training, as well as dissemination of the concept of universal accessibility, with the creation of globally accessible environments, products and services.
About UNE (Asociación Española de Normalización)
UNE is an entity that is legally responsible for developing technical regulations or standards. Such standards reflect the consensus of the market on best practices in key areas for the competitiveness of organizations and are the result of joint efforts by economic sectors and the administration. 12,000 experts participate in the drafting of standards in the 226 Technical Standardization Committees working in UNE. UNE represents Spain in standardization bodies on an international level (ISO and IEC), in Europe (CEN and CENELEC) and in COPANT (America); it is also the Spanish standardization body in ETSI. UNE also carries out intense work in the field of International Cooperation.
A new agreement between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Grupo Xcaret shows how public-private partnerships can promote destinations and rural environments through tourism.
Extension of the collaboration between UNWTO and the Grupo Xcaret has coincided with the opening of the new Hotal Xcaret Arte, an important investment that reveals the confidence of the Grupo Xcaret in the sustainable recovery of tourism. It is also taking shape in the context of the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development declared by the United Nations.
The agreement covers increased collaboration by UNWTO with one of its most active affiliate members in the promotion of sustainable tourism and of social responsibility in the private sector towards the conservation and promotion of natural and cultural heritage through tourism.
This agreement is an important step in the continued expansion of our collaboration for better, more sustainable and creative tourism
The agreement was confirmed in the framework of the recent first official visit by the UNWTO Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, to Mexico, during which he met President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Secretary for Tourism, Miguel Torruco.
In addition to the meetings at the highest political level, UNWTO set up new collaboration with the State of Yucatan and expanded the existing collaboration with the Government of the State of Quintana Roo in the Mexican Caribbean.
Such shared goals mark the relationship between Grupo Xcaret and UNWTO since the group joined the Organisation as an Affiliate Member in 2004, the year after UNWTO became a specialized United Nations agency.
Tourism in Quintana Roo has proved to be an example of efficient public-private collaboration in tourism, whose benefits reach beyond the tourism sector.
“This agreement is an important step in the continued expansion of our collaboration for better, more sustainable and creative tourism”, said Secretary General Pololikashvili, who stressed the support it will provide for the destination and its culture and the impetus it will bring to rural development.
“This agreement”, according to architect Miguel Quintana, “reaffirms our commitment as a sustainable, 100% Mexican enterprise whose business model is based on ethics, respect for human dignity and a commitment to biodiversity and the creation of shared value in the communities in which we operate.”
The ceremony for the signing of the agreement by the Secretary General of UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, and by architect Miguel Quintana Pali, President and Director General of Grupo XCaret, was held in the presence of witnesses of honour, the Mexican Secretary of Tourism Miguel Torruco and the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquín González.
