Dear Affiliate Members,
I am pleased to share with you this issue of the AM Newsletter featuring some of the strategies that our Affiliate Members will implement in 2021.
As you will read, we share the common vision to achieve a tourism that is more responsible, fairer and respectful for the environment and populations, with strategies for sustainable development being at the core of the recovery efforts. Also, digitalization as a tool for sustainability, along with furthering global partnerships and reinforcing collaboration are all highlighted by our membership as important elements to implement in 2021.
The aforementioned strategic lines are all aligned with UNWTO’s priorities to make tourism smarter through fostering innovation and leading the digital transformation of the sector; to promote investment and entrepreneurship; as well as harnessing tourism’s unique potential to protect social, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Over the last months, my team has listened to your valuable inputs and proposals and has incorporated the ones aligned with UNWTO’s objectives and priorities into our Programme of Work for 2021.
I am pleased to announce that the updated version of Programme of Work for 2021 of the Affiliate Members Department has been validated by the Board of Affiliate Members. This was one of the main points for discussion at our Plenary Session -held in Madrid in November 2020, when a first draft containing the inputs received from our Affiliate Members was presented. Since then, my team has been in permanent contact with our membership, encouraging them to continue sending us their proposals and expressing our availability to continue enriching this work program.
The updated Programme of Work for 2021 contains the objective and priority lines of action that will guide the activities of the Affiliate Members Department in 2021, which you can see summarized in this issue. Most importantly, it incorporates an enriching variety of projects and activities proposed by our Affiliate Members and that will be supported by my Department. These activities cover a wide range of important areas including sustainability and accessibility projects, COVID-19 response initiatives, and priority topics such as tourism and audiovisual, sports tourism and rural tourism.
I am confident that we can stay positive and focused on the future and on working together to make our strategies for the recovery of tourism a success.
As always, I am at your disposal and look forward to hearing any comments you may have. I also encourage you to actively use our AMConnected platform by sharing your information and staying up-to-date with the latest information of the UNWTO.
Yours sincerely,
Ion Vilcu
As the sector enters the second year of an unprecedented crisis, the impact this has had on women in tourism has been made clear. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the pandemic, and the unprecedented drop in international tourist arrivals, risks rolling back progress made towards achieving gender equality and efforts to empower women and girls.
UNWTO is marking International Women’s Day 2021 with the release of our Inclusive Recovery Guide for women in tourism, compiled in collaboration with UN Women.
UNWTO data shows that women make up the majority of the tourism workforce (54%). Women in tourism are also often concentrated in low-skilled or informal work. This means that they are feeling the economic shock caused by the crisis more acutely and quicker than their male counterparts. In many cases, they are cut off from the social and healthcare protections that are so vital in a global pandemic.
Crisis “has a woman’s face”
Tourism is a proven driver of equality and opportunity
The Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres says, “As the world marks International Women’s Day in the midst of a global pandemic, one stark fact is clear: the COVID-19 crisis has a woman’s face.” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili adds, “Tourism is a proven driver of equality and opportunity. This unprecedented crisis has hit our sector’s women fast and hard, which is why gender equality and empowerment must be centre stage as we work together to restart tourist and accelerate recovery.”
Recommendations for inclusive recovery
Almost one year on since the pandemic was officially declared, the negative impact it is having on women and girls has become devastatingly clear. This increase in women’s economic and social insecurity combined with the observed rise in unpaid care work and domestic violence have meant that women in tourism have been disproportionately affected by the devastating effects of the pandemic on the sector.
The Inclusive Recovery Guide provides recommendations to policymakers, businesses and civil society actors in tourism for designing gender-responsive measures in response to the ongoing pandemic.
One in three destinations worldwide are now completely closed to international tourism. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus has prompted many governments to reverse efforts to ease restrictions on travel, with total closures to tourists most prevalent in Asia and the Pacific and Europe.
The UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report provides a comprehensive overview of the regulations in place in 217 destinations worldwide. While previous editions had shown a movement towards easing or lifting restrictions on travel, the latest report shows that the persistent seriousness of the epidemiological situation has caused governments to adopt a more cautious approach.
As of the beginning of February, 32% of all destinations worldwide (69 in total) are completely closed for international tourism. Of these, around just over half (38 destinations) have been closed for at least 40 weeks. At the same time, 34% of worldwide destinations are now partially closed to international tourists.
Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognise that restrictions are just one part of the solution
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Polilikashvili says: “Travel restrictions have been widely used to restrict the spread of the virus. Now, as we work to restart tourism, we must recognise that restrictions are just one part of the solution. Their use must be based on the latest data and analysis and consistently reviewed so as to allow for the safe and responsible restart of a sector upon which many millions of businesses and jobs depend.”
Regional variations clear
The ninth edition of the UNWTO Travel Restrictions Report shows that regional differences with regards to travel restrictions remain. Of the 69 destinations where borders are completely closed to tourists, 30 are in Asia and the Pacific, 15 are in Europe, 11 are in Africa, 10 are in the Americas and three are in the Middle East.
At the same time, the UNWTO research also indicates a trend towards adopting a more nuanced, evidence and risk-based approach to implementing travel restrictions. Growing numbers of destinations worldwide now require international tourists to present a negative PCR or antigen test upon arrival and also provide contact details for tracing purposes. Indeed, 32% of all worldwide destinations now have the presentation of such tests as their main requirement for international arrivals often combined with quarantine, while the same amount have made tests a secondary or tertiary measure.
Top tourism markets remain cautious
As UNWTO leads the restart of tourism, the Travel Restrictions Report also notes how different governments are issuing advice to their own citizens. Analysis of the top ten tourism source markets currently advising against non-essential travel abroad found they generated 44% of all international arrivals in 2018. UNWTO notes that advice issued by governments will play a crucial role in the restart and recovery of tourism in the weeks and months ahead.
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UN Tourism News #21 | 3 March 2021
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Initiating Preparations for UNWTO General Assembly in Morocco The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Kingdom of Morocco met to advance the organization of the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in October 2021, the first global high-level United Nations event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic. |
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UNWTO Global Startup Competition Winners Announced Startups from around the world have been recognized for their unique contributions to sustainable and responsible tourism in the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition. |
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The Power of Culture and Creativity in Tourism Recovery The shared values and close ties between tourism and culture stakeholders means both sectors can work together to ensure inclusive access to heritage, as countries around the world recover from the pandemic. In recognition of this mutually reinforcing relationship, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and UNESCO have collaborated to produce a set of new guidelines focusing on the responsible restart of cultural tourism. |
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Statistics to Restart Tourism in the Caribbean From the need for enhanced political engagement to developing relevant expertise, the World Tourism Organization, jointly with the Caribbean Tourism Organization, have united their Members in the Caribbean to address the key challenges they face in making effective use of statistics to drive the restart of their tourism sectors. |
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Tomorrow Today - What's new in UNWTO's Innovation, Education and Investments Department? |
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"The year 2020 taught us that the words innovation, sustainability and inclusion must be part of the tourism model that we must promote when we can travel proactively again”- Natalia Bayona, Director, Innovation, Education and investments. The first two months of the year were quite active for UNWTO’s Innovation, Education and Investment department, but this is just a small sampling of all the activities and initiatives that will take place this 2021 aimed at continuing to maintain Innovation, Education and Investments as the central focus in the recovery of the sector. Innovation:
Education:
Investments:
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UNWTO media highlights: |
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