The World Tourism Organization and the Catalan Tourist Board of the Government of Catalonia launch the first World Sports Tourism Congress to discuss the future expectations of the sector

• All Regions, Europe
• 23 Sep 2021

• The Congress will take place in Lloret on 25 and 26 November
• The programme will feature renowned speakers such as Petra Stusek, Kattia Juarez Dubón, Edwin Moses and Marco Mazzi
• The event will be in a hybrid format and will use advanced technology to enhance the virtual presence of some speakers through holograms
• Registration for the event is now open at the World Sports Tourism Congress website

The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, and the Minister of Business and Labour of the Government of Catalonia, Roger Torrent, presented the first World Sports Tourism Congress and its programme, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, at a press conference held in Lloret de Mar and Barcelona.

The Congress, which previously had to be postponed due to the pandemic, will take place on 25 and 26 November at the Olympic Conference Centre in the Catalan town of Lloret de Mar. The presentation was attended by Marta Domènech, Director-General of Tourism, Ion Vilcu, Director of the Department of Affiliate Members of UNWTO, Narcís Ferrer, Director of the Catalan Tourist Board, and Jaume Dulsat, Mayor of Lloret de Mar.

The Congress will have a total of 62 speakers from different countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Wales, Northern Ireland and Croatia. Leading figures from the world of sport and tourism, representing entities that are also UNWTO Affiliate Members, have already confirmed their attendance as speakers, such as Petra Stusek, President and CEO of European Cities Marketing; Kattia Juarez Dubón of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme; Edwin Moses, Olympic medallist; Marco Mazzi, Vice- President of the International Sports Travel Agencies Association, and Mafalda Magalhaes, Director of FC Porto Museum.

Registration is now open at https://worldsportstourismcongress.org. The Congress will be a hybrid event, allowing both in-person and virtual participation, and aims to strengthen the relationship between sports tourism and sustainable and inclusive development, diversification, differentiation and de-seasonalization. Also collaborating in the organization of the event are the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board and the City Council of Lloret de Mar through Lloret Turismo.

The Congress, which already had almost 400 pre-registered participants before the official opening of registration, will address topics such as the challenges for the sector posed by COVID-19; trends in sport and physical activity; innovation in the development of sports tourism; mass attendance at sporting events; as well as the environmental framework, diversity and inclusion in the world of sport.

The programme also includes other aspects, such as different public-private governance strategies, the digital transformation of the sector, e-sports, digital marketing, communication and commercialization. Over the two days of the Congress, there will be different sports activities for the participants, academic presentations and technical visits; in addition, spaces will be set up for networking to maximize synergies among the attendees.

Telepresence at the Congress through holograms

Among the innovations that the Congress will bring, as presented at the press conference, are two hologram booths to enable the participation of different speakers who will not be in Lloret de Mar in person. It will be the first event in Catalonia to use this advanced technology, presented at the Mobile World Congress 2021. Fibre-optics and 5G connectivity will make it possible to bring personalities from all over the world closer to the Congress remotely and in real time, through giant screens.

Tourism and Sports, a priority line of action for UNWTO

For the World Tourism Organization, Tourism and Sport represents a priority that it has been actively developing over the past two years. In addition to organizing this World Sports Tourism Congress together with the Catalan Tourist Board, UNWTO has supported other projects focused on this line of action.

UNWTO recognizes the beneficial bond of mutual reinforcement that unites tourism and sport. Key indicators such as employment linked to sport, the percentage of trips initiated for sports reasons, the total expenditure associated with these trips and public spending linked to sport, have been registering remarkable growth in recent years. Sports tourism also raises the visibility of destinations and encourages investment in infrastructure, with its positive multiplier effects at the economic and social levels.

In the current context of crisis that the tourism sector, in particular, and all other sectors of society and the economy are experiencing, the contribution of each component and subsector will be very important, and the area of tourism and sport will be no exception.

Beyond the economic indicators mentioned above, it is imperative to highlight the values that sport inspires and promotes, and that apply to all aspects of economic and social life, including tourism.

The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili said: “... the gradual resumption of the calendar of competitions and major sporting events is an important driver of the restart of tourism after the unprecedented shock of the pandemic. Sporting events can play a decisive role in the tourism development in destinations”.

Lloret de Mar – Costa Brava

In recent years, sports tourism has become a strategic sector in Catalonia thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities and the wide range of possibilities it offers for sports-themed stays for individuals and teams alike. In 2003, the Catalan Tourist Board created its Sports Tourism Brand, a distinction that is granted to municipalities, facilities and specialized companies that meet quality standards in the different sports disciplines and recognizes excellence in resources and services to practice sports or enjoy events and championships for elite athletes, professionals and fans of major sporting events.

Since 2006, Lloret de Mar has been recognized by the Catalan Tourist Board as a certified Sports Tourism Destination in the disciplines of football, athletics, swimming, group sports, triathlon and cycling. The municipality has an extensive hotel infrastructure to accommodate all attendees of the Congress and the different parallel events. Each year it receives more than 60,000 athletes and accompanying persons, and during 2019, it hosted a total of 446 sports events and competitions.

Related links

• Download the news release in PDF
• World Sports Tourism Congress
• Sports Tourism
• Affiliate Members

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The Glasgow Declaration: An urgent global call for commitment to a decade of climate action in tourism

• All Regions
• 21 Sep 2021

In preparation for COP26, two information sessions were held today on the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The Declaration, developed by a collaborative group of leading organizations, is an urgent call for all stakeholders to commit to a decade of climate action in tourism.

The signatories of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism are committing to act now and accelerate climate action to cut global tourism emissions by at least a half over the next decade and reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050. In particular, each signatory will commit to deliver a concrete climate action plan, or updated plan, within 12 months of signing. Plans will be aligned with the proposed pathways of measurement, decarbonisation, regeneration, collaboration and financing that will accelerate tourism’s ability to transform.

During the events, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), VisitScotland, the Travel Foundation and Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency were joined by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, European Tourism Association, Inkaterra, Intrepid Group, Machu Picchu, Oregon Coast, Radisson Hotel Group, South Pacific Tourism Organization, The Long Run, andThe Travel Corporation (TTC). All were united in emphasizing the importance of defining a clear and consistent sector-wide message and approach to climate action in the coming decade, as well as encouraging organizations across all areas of tourism to demonstrate their public support for scaling up the sector’s response to the climate emergency by becoming signatories.

We need to work urgently together within a consistent sector-wide approach to accelerate change and therefore I encourage tourism stakeholders to subscribe the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism

The Declaration will be officially launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. The text is available from 21st September. Interested signatories can express their wish to join as launch partners from the beginning of October.

As the declaration states: “A just transition to Net Zero before 2050 will only be possible if tourism’s recovery accelerates the adoption of sustainable consumption and production, and redefines our future success to consider not only economic value but rather the regeneration of ecosystems, biodiversity and communities.”

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General UNWTO said: “We all recognise that tourism has an important role to play. It’s highly vulnerable to climate change and contributes to the emission of greenhouse gases, while being well placed to contribute to adaptation. But no one organisation can tackle this alone. That’s why we need to work urgently together within a consistent sector-wide approach to accelerate change and therefore I encourage tourism stakeholders to subscribe the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.”

Jeremy Smith, Co-Founder, Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency: “Everyone in tourism has a role to play in addressing the climate emergency. It is time for major players across our sector to come together to accelerate climate action – whether that is airlines, hotels, cruise, ferry, train or car companies through to operators and agents, government and institutional agencies, associations, consortia, donors and financial institutions and academia. It is crucial we now all work together to transform tourism’s climate impact, competitiveness, sustainability and resilience.”

The need for a globally consistent approach for climate action in tourism has been made clear, notably through research into CO2 emissions carried out by UNWTO/ITF  and released at the UNFCCC COP25 in December 2019. This showed that transport-related emissions from tourism were forecast to increase by 25% by 2030 from 2016 levels, against the current ambition scenario.

In 2020, the One Planet Vision for a responsible recovery of the tourism sector was adopted with the aim of emerging from the COVID-19 crisis both stronger and more sustainable. Climate action is a central element of the Vision, which calls for monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions from tourism, promoting the introduction of science-based targets, accelerating the decarbonization of tourism operations, and engaging the tourism sector in carbon removal.

The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism brings together the latest research and global expertise to galvanise climate action. It will be hosted within the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme’s website, supported by Recommended Actions for tourism stakeholders across the world to consider as part of their action planning, alongside other resources.

#GlasgowDeclaration and #TourismAndClimate

UNWTO Press Office: comm@unwto.org
VisitScotland: Carolyn Churchill Tel: 44 (0)7835 491 872 Email: Carolyn.churchill@visitscotland.com Social: @visitscotnews
Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency:  Jeremy Smith,
Email: jeremy@tourismdeclares.com Social: @tourismdeclares
Travel Foundation: Ben Lynam, Tel: 44 (0) 117 930 7176, Email: ben.lynam@thetravelfoundation.org.uk Social: @traveltf

Related Links

• Download the news release in PDF
• ONE PLANET Vision for a Responsible Recovery of a Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector the Tourism Sector
• Transport-related CO2 emissions from the tourism sector
• Climate Action
• The Glasgow Declaration

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Innovation and Partnerships to Make Wine Tourism Driver Rural Development

• All Regions
• 10 Sep 2021

Innovation, partnerships and enhanced coordination are essential for making wine tourism a driver of rural development. That was the takeaway message from the 5th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism, held this week in Alentejo, Portugal, around the theme “Wine Tourism – a driver for rural development.”

Aligning with the central focus of World Tourism Day 2021, due to be celebrated 27 September, the Conference brough public and private sector stakeholders together to identify ways to maximise the sector’s potential contributions to inclusive growth. Also on the agenda was advancing digital transformation, marketing and promotion and the conservation of nature through a thriving wine tourism sector. Around 150 people attended the conference in person, with many more joining virtually to hear from a wide range of experts, from wine producers and distributors to tour operators, destinations and media.

Connecting tourists to territories

Wine tourism and its connection with the territory, local products and traditions opens new opportunities to advance jobs and inclusiveness in rural areas

Opening the event, UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili: “The pandemic has strengthened the role of tourism in advancing rural development. Wine tourism and its connection with the territory, local products and traditions opens new opportunities to advance jobs and inclusiveness in rural areas”.

Joining Secretary-General Pololikashvili for high-level panel discussions were Rita Marques, Secretary of State of Tourism of Portugal, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, State Secretary to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Sofia Zaharaki, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece and Mariam Kvrivishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.

The Minister of State, Economy and Digital Transition for Portugal, Pedro Siza Vieira, affirmed: “Wine tourism is at the forefront of our National Plan for Tourism. Its mission is to reach more visitors, from more countries, around the year, all over Portugal.” He also announced the launch of the Portuguese Wine Tourism website and a first Wine & Travel Week to be held in Porto, in February 2022.

Growing demand for authentic experiences

Wine tourism is in increasing demand as consumers look for more open-air experiences in rural areas in the post-pandemic era. The conference stressed the importance of developing the whole tourism value chain to complement the activities at the wineries as a means to create more jobs and businesses, promote local products and improve the visitor experience.

Mayor of Reguengos de Monsaraz, José Calixto added: "Local Authorities play a decisive role in enhancing the built and intangible heritage of winegrowing territories. For Reguengos de Monsaraz, this conference was the most important moment of the Vine and Wine history in the largest wine-producing regions in Portugal and will provide a further boost to rural development."

The Conference was held on 8-10 September 2021, in the village of Monsaraz in the Alentejo region, in collaboration with the Government of Portugal, Turismo de Portugal and the Municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz. The Italian village of Alba in Region Piemonte will host the 2022 edition of the UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism.

The Minister of Tourism of Italy, Massimo Garavaglia, said “The wine and food sector is increasingly proving to be a fundamental lever for Italian tourism. And it will be even more so in the future. For these reasons, the appointment next year in Italy of the sixth edition of the World Conference of Wine Tourism is doubly important.”

Related links

• Download the news release in PDF
• UNWTO Gastronomy and Wine Tourism
• 5th UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism
• World Tourism Day 2021