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Tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic

“Tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic. By bringing people together, tourism can promote solidarity and trust”: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

As UNWTO leads the restart of tourism, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has sent a landmark message to the world, highlighting the sector’s unique role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in protecting the most vulnerable members of our societies.

As the world faces the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is among those being affected most severely.  Travel is down, fear is up, and the future is uncertain.

Tourism is an essential pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The livelihoods of many depend on it, especially women and particularly in the world’s most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.  Moreover, in many parts of the world, the protection of biodiversity relies heavily on the tourist sector, from conservation to the revenue generated by those efforts.

Tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic.  By bringing people together, tourism can promote solidarity and trust – crucial ingredients in advancing the global cooperation that is so urgently needed at this time.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization is strongly committed to this work.  I encourage all those involved in the tourism sector to explore how we can recover better, including through climate action and other steps that advance sustainability and build resilience.  On our journey toward a better future, we must uphold our pledge to leave no one behind. 

Thank you.

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Sustainability as the New Normal

“Sustainability as the New Normal” a Vision for the Future of Tourism

To mark World Environment Day, the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme led by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announces its new vision for global tourism– growing better, stronger, and balancing the needs of people, planet and prosperity.

The One Planet Vision for the Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector builds on the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism, with the aim to emerge stronger and more sustainable from the COVID-19 crisis.

This combined effort comes at a time when several destinations around the world begin to ease restrictions on travel and mobility and the tourism sector is getting ready to resume its activity with the lessons learned from the pandemic.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Sustainability must no longer be a niche part of tourism but must be the new norm for every part of our sector. This is one of the central elements of our Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism. It is in our hands to transform tourism and that emerging from COVID-19 becomes a turning point for sustainability.

Better, more sustainable, and resilient growth

Sustainability must no longer be a niche part of tourism but must be the new norm for every part of our sector

The One Planet Vision calls for responsible recovery for the tourism sector, which is founded on sustainability, to build back better. This will underpin tourism’s resilience to be better prepared for future crises. The Vision will support the development and implementation of recovery plans, which contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the Paris Agreement.

At a time when governments and the private sector are embarking on the path to recovery, the time is right to keep advancing towards a more economically, social and environmentally sustainable tourism model.

Private sector committed to lead by example

Sabina Fluxà, Vice-Chairman and CEO Iberostar Group , a leading international Hotel and Resort company, stressed that " it is imperative to keep focused on creating a more responsible and fair way to travel”, adding that “Iberostar has responded by integrating sustainability in elevated safety protocols and further committing to our circular economy policies to ensure any new waste is managed properly.”

According to Delphine King, Executive Director of The Long Run, an international community of nature-based tourism businesses, “Our members collectively conserve over 20 million acres of fragile ecosystems, and none of this work has stopped despite the pandemic and tourism’s pause, demonstrating where priorities lie.”

James Thornton, CEO, Intrepid Travel, a leading provider of adventure travel experiences, call for committed actions and underscores that, “We believe climate action is a collective commitment to the sustainability of the entire travel industry, and the world we so love to explore”.

The One Planet Vision for the Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector is structured around six lines of action to guide responsible tourism recovery for people, planet and prosperity, namely public health, social inclusion, biodiversity conservation, climate action, circular economy and governance and finance.

Download the One Planet Vision for a Responsible Recovery of the Tourism Sector from COVID-19

English   French   Spanish   Arabic   Chinese   Russian  

For enquiries, please contact Virginia Fernandez-Trapa at UNWTO: vftrapa@unwto.org

About the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme

The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme aims to enhance the sustainable development impacts of the tourism sector by 2030 by developing, promoting and scaling up sustainable consumption and production practices that boost the efficient use of natural resources, while producing less waste and addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity. The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme is led by UNWTO, with the governments of France and Spain as co-leads and in collaboration with UNEP.

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Green Investments for Sustainable Tourism

UNWTO and IFC Partner to Facilitate Green Investments for Tourism’s Sustainable Future

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) continues to steer global tourism towards a more sustainable future, partnering with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to green the sector and promote recovery and responsible growth.

Under the new Investment Readiness for Green Finance Mechanisms initiative, the United Nations specialized agency for tourism will work alongside IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries, on a series of training programmes. These will focus on both stimulating tourism’s recovery from the current crisis, while at the same time promoting green financing to enhance sustainability across the whole of the tourism value chain.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Sustainable tourism should no longer be considered a special niche. Instead, this pause in global travel offers us a chance to rethink tourism and make the whole sector more sustainable as we grow back better and stronger. This new initiative with IFC will provide valuable guidelines on Sustainable Tourism Investments that enhance tourism’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Facilitating Investments in Sustainability

At present, there are 200,000 hotels providing 18 million beds worldwide, with a further 2.4 million rooms in the pipeline. These alone account for 1% of global greenhouses gas (GHG) emissions and so increasing the sustainability of this part of the global tourism sector can make a significant contribution to climate-related Sustainable Development Goals. This new initiative is aimed at furthering this.

One of the main focuses will be working with private sector partners to promote green finance and share experience in resourcing sustainable buildings. The initial cooperation will consist in a series of trainings to promote green investments for a long term recovery of the tourism sector. The first training is planned to start on June 4th, 2020 in a webinar format, and it will culminate with an accreditation training for EDGE Experts. Government officials, hospitality investors, aggregators and tourism investment consultants are all invited to register their interest at https://www.unwto.org/green-investments-for-sustainable-tourism

About IFC

IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities where they are needed most. In fiscal year 2019, we delivered more than $19 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org

About EDGE
An innovation of IFC, EDGE helps property developers to build and brand green in a fast, easy and affordable way. EDGE is supported by free software that encourages solutions to reduce energy, water and the energy used to make building materials by at least 20 percent, which is the standard for EDGE certification. The program has been generously supported by the following donors: Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary, Japan, Switzerland and the UK. For more information, visit www.edgebuildings.com

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Restarting Tourism

Restarting Tourism

At both the local and the global level, the crisis we have faced up to together has shown the importance of making the right decisions at the right time.

The time has come to restart tourism!

We do so on the back of many weeks of hard work and commitment. This crisis has affected us all. Many, at every level of the sector, have made sacrifices, personally or professionally. But in the spirit of solidarity that defines tourism, we united under UNWTO’s leadership to share our expertise and abilities. Together, we are stronger, and this cooperation will be essential as we move onto the next stage.

Our research shows that several countries around the world are starting to ease restrictions on travel. At the same time, governments and the private sector are working together to restore confidence build and trust – essential foundations for recovery.

In the first stage of this crisis, UNWTO united tourism to assess the likely impact of COVID-19, mitigate the damage to economies, and safeguard jobs and businesses.

Now, as we change gears together, UNWTO is taking the lead again.

Last week, we convened the fifth meeting of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee. Here, we launched the UNWTO Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism. This important document outlines our roadmap and priorities for the sector in the challenging months ahead, from providing liquidity for vulnerable businesses to opening borders and coordinating new health protocols and procedures.

At the same time, we continue to promote innovation and sustainability. These must no longer be small parts of our sector, but instead must be at the heart of everything we do. This way, as we restart tourism, we can build a sector that works for people and planet.

Governments and businesses are increasingly on our side as we work to build this new tourism.

UNWTO is also working to make sure that tourists too share in this vision.
Our partnership with CNN International will take our positive message to millions of people around the world. The #TravelTomorrow message, embraced by so many, is one of responsibility, hope and determination.

And now, as we do get ready to travel again, we remind tourists of the positive difference their choices can make.

Our actions can be meaningful and highlight the road ahead, travelling again to restart tourism.

Zurab Pololikashvili
UNWTO Secretary-General

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Restrictions on Tourism Travel Starting to Ease but Caution Remains, UNWTO Reports

Restrictions on Tourism Travel Starting to Ease but Caution Remains, UNWTO Reports

The world is slowly opening up again, new research from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) indicates, with destinations cautiously easing travel restrictions introduced in response to COVID-19. As the United Nations specialized agency releases its Global Guidelines for Reopening Tourism, signalling a transition into gearing up for stronger and better recovery, 3% of all global destinations have now taken steps to ease travel restrictions.

UNWTO has been monitoring the global response to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. The fourth edition of its COVID-19 Related Travel Restrictions: A Global Review for Tourism report, released today, again looked at the measures of 217 destinations worldwide as of 18 May 2020. The research shows that 7 destinations have eased travel restrictions for international tourism purposes. At the same time, several more destinations are engaged in significant discussions about the re-opening of borders.

Caution Remains

The report notes that 100% of all destinations worldwide continue to have some form of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in place. Furthermore, as of 18 May 75% continued to have their borders completely closed for international tourism. In 37% of all cases, travel restrictions have been in place for 10 weeks, while 24% of global destinations have had restrictions in place for 14 weeks or more.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The timely and responsible easing of travel restrictions will help ensure the many social and economic benefits that tourism guarantees will return in a sustainable way. This will contribute to the livelihoods of many millions of people around the world. The sector is a driver of sustainable development and a pillar of economies. UNWTO stresses the need for vigilance, responsibility and international cooperation as the world slowly opens up again.”

UNWTO stresses the need for vigilance, responsibility and international cooperation as the world slowly opens up again

Mr Pololikashvili also welcomed the growing confidence in the global tourism sector, noting it stands ready to return to growth. While tourism has been the hardest hit of all the world’s major economic sectors, UNWTO has led a joint response and last week released its Global Guidelines to Reopen Tourism. These guidelines outline the steps governments and the private sector can take to accelerate recovery in the months ahead.

Tourism-Dependent States Locked Down

Looking into global travel restrictions more closely, the UNWTO research shows that, the more important tourism is to the economies of individual destinations, the more likely they are to have introduced complete border closures. In the case of SIDS destinations (Small Island Developing States), 85% continue to have their borders completely closed for tourism purposes.

All UNWTO regions have more than 65% of their destinations completely closed to tourism: Africa (74%), Americas (86%), Asia and the Pacific (67%), Europe (74%) and the Middle East (69%).

The COVID-19-Related Travel Restrictions report also breaks down the level and type of travel restrictions in place, including prevalence of flight suspensions and measures including compulsory self-isolation and quarantine of tourist arrivals. This report and past editions can be accessed through the UNWTO website.

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UNWTO Launches Global Guidelines to Reopen Tourism

UNWTO Launches Global Guidelines to Restart Tourism

  • The United Nations specialized agency for tourism releases guidelines for strong and sustainable recovery
  • Recommendations draw on cross-sector expertise of Tourism Crisis Committee
  • Safe, seamless travel and restoring confidence key priorities
  • UNWTO and Google strengthen partnership to promote digital skills and create new opportunities in recovery phase

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released a set of guidelines to help tourism sector emerge stronger and more sustainably from COVID-19. The guidelines highlight the need to act decisively, to restore confidence and, as UNWTO strengthens its partnership with Google, to embrace innovation and the digital transformation of global tourism.

The guidelines were produced in consultation with the Global Tourism Crisis Committee and aim to support governments and private sector to recover from an unparalleled crisis. Depending on when travel restrictions are lifted, the United Nations specialized agency warns that international tourist arrivals could fall by between 60% and 80%. This puts 100-120 million jobs at risk and could lead to US$ 910 billion to US$ 1.2 trillion lost in exports.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “These guidelines provide both governments and businesses with a comprehensive set of measures designed to help them open tourism up again in a safe, seamless and responsible manner. They are the product of the enhanced cooperation that has characterized tourism’s response to this shared challenge, building on knowledge and inputs from across the public and private sectors and from several UN agencies as part of the UN’s wider response.”

Safe and security protocols for tourism recovery

The new guide, a follow up of the Recommendations for Action already endorsed by the Committee, is focused on seven priorities for tourism recovery based on the pillars of mitigating the economic impact, developing safety protocols and coordinated responds and fostering innovation.

These guidelines provide both governments and businesses with a comprehensive set of measures designed to help them open tourism up again in a safe, seamless and responsible manner

The guidelines highlight the importance of restoring the confidence of the travelers through safety and security protocols designed to reduce risks in each step of the tourism value chain. These protocols include the implementation of check procedures where appropriate, including temperature scans, testing, physical distancing, enhanced frequency of cleaning and the provision of hygiene kits for safe air travel, hospitality services or safe events.

Innovation key as UNWTO builds on Google partnership

The UNWTO Guidelines also highlight the opportunity to foster a digital transformation of destinations, companies and employees with initiatives such as the free online training with the UNWTO Online Academy and the implementation of apps such as the Hi Card to improve international interoperability at the airports and hotels. The role of technology in promoting social distancing in hotels and tourist destinations is also highlighted.

This comes as UNWTO strengthens its partnership with Google. Through this enhanced collaboration, the UN agency will work with Google to promote digital learning and online skills training so as to provide new opportunities across the global tourism sector.

Secretary-General Pololikashvili added: “We are thrilled to be working more closely with Google. The past weeks have highlighted the enhanced role technology plays in our lives and furthering the digital transformation of tourism will make the sector more resilient and create opportunities for people all around the world.”

About the Global Tourism Crisis Committee

UNWTO formed the Global Tourism Crisis Committee to guide the sector as it responds to the COVID-19 crisis and to build the foundations for future resilience and sustainable growth.

The Committee comprises representatives of UNWTO’s Member States and Affiliate Members, alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank Group and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The private sector is represented by Airports Council International (ACI), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to ensure a coordinated and effective response.

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CNN Joins UNWTO on #TravelTomorrow Campaign

CNN Joins UNWTO on #TravelTomorrow Campaign

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has joined forces with CNN International for a major new initiative designed to inspire people to get ready to travel again. The #TravelTomorrow campaign combines the key message of the United Nations specialized agency with the creativity of the broadcaster and looks to a brighter future for global tourism and those that are reliant on the sector for their livelihoods.

From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that brought the world to a standstill, UNWTO has emphasized the importance of putting public health first. The “Stay Home Today to #TravelTomorrow” message has been amplified around the world, both by governments and by individual travellers. Now, as many destinations look to easing travel restrictions, UNWTO has partnered with CNN to create a 60 second film celebrating the unique power of tourism to inspire and bring people together.  

“Recovery, unity and opportunity”

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “In these challenging times we must all play our part - staying home today, supporting the efforts of the global healthcare community in combating COVID19 - so that we can #TravelTomorrow. But this does not mean we should stop dreaming about the places we will one day travel to. I am excited by this new initiative created by CNN, a valued partner of the UNWTO, to keep the world connected to the people and places that wait for us when we can once again enjoy the gift of travel - a sector that will  be critical to global economic recovery, unity and opportunity.”

Keep the world connected to the people and places that wait for us when we can once again enjoy the gift of travel - a sector that will be critical to global economic recovery, unity and opportunity

The film, which will be shown on CNN International and its social media and which will also be amplified by UNWTO’s own media channels, takes viewers around the world, reminding them of the wonders beyond their neighbourhoods. #TravelTomorrow aims to drive imagination for future trips featuring adventure, business, culture, family and friends. It also promotes solidarity and emphasizes the importance of all tourists following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO).

CNN Worldwide Commercial President Rani Raad said: “Tourism is by far one of the most affected sectors as a result of this pandemic. Our commitment to supporting this industry is based on our work over many years with the UNWTO, its members around the world and other travel and tourism destinations. It is important to share this responsible yet aspirational message with CNN’s global audience, reminding people that while many have to stay home today, to not stop dreaming about where they want to travel to tomorrow.”

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