UNWTO to Help Thassos Rebuild Tourism with Residents at the Forefront

• Europe
• 29 Aug 2023

UNWTO will work with the Municipality of Thassos in Greece to help the island rebuild its tourism sector in an inclusive way.

The new joint project will focus on two core issues, namely tourism marketing and community involvement in tourism on Thassos. The work is part of a wider focus to place local communities at the centre of tourism policies as the sector's recovery continues to gather pace.

Marketing Action Plan

As part of the collaboration, UNWTO will work with the Municipality to boost the diversity and resilience of tourism on the island.

• The marketing initiatives for Thassos tourism carried out over recent years will be thoroughly analysed, with key takeaways used to inform future work.
• Both parties will then collaborate on a new Marketing Action Plan. The marketing activity will aim to provide Thassos with a targeted action plan to improve the marketing efforts and initiatives through contemporary and effective marketing tools.

 

This project is a great example of how UNWTO is working with communities to ensure that tourism is developed in a way that is beneficial to all

Understanding Local Needs

The joint work will also look at the perceptions, vision, and priorities of residents with regards to the development of tourism in Thassos

• A Residents Study will be carried out with the aim of  better understanding the views of Thassos residents on tourism. This will involve conducting surveys and focus groups to gather information on how residents perceive that tourism affects the island's economy, environment, and culture.
• The findings of the study will be used to inform the development of sustainable and inclusive tourism policies for Thassos.

Delivering Benefits for All

"We are delighted to be working with the Municipality of Thassos, Greece, on this important project," said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. "This project is a great example of how UNWTO is working with communities to ensure that tourism is developed in a way that is beneficial to all."

"With the present cooperation, the island of Thassos acquires international and up-to-date technical assistance "tools" related to tourism development" said Mayor of Thassos Eleftherios Kyriakidis. "We are generating knowledge to consult our policy of extroversion that is needed for a more sustainable tourism development in Thassos, taking always into account the natural environment, history, culture and local society."

Related Links

• Download the News Release in PDF
• UNWTO Technical Cooperation
• UNWTO Regional Department for Europe

UNWTO Strengthens Relationship with Israel During Official Visit

• Europe
• 25 Aug 2023

Innovation, tourism for rural development and high-level cooperation were the focus of this week’s official visit of the UNWTO Secretary-General to Israel.

As a founding Member State, joining in 1975, Israel has played an active role in UNWTO's work and continues to serve on several important Committees and bodies. Following on from the official visit of Israel's Ministry of Tourism, to the UNWTO headquarters in Madrid in July, the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili led a delegation to Israel for a series of high-level discussions around shared priorities.

In Jerusalem, Secretary-General Pololikashvili held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen. Mr Pololikashvili commended Israel's active role in tourism governance and its commitment to several UNWTO priorities for the sector.

• Israel is an elected member of the Task Force on Redesigning Tourism for Future. Alongside Spain, Israel was chosen to represent the region of Europe in this UNWTO subsidiary body.
• Israel also serves as member of the UNWTO Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness for the period 2019-2023.
• Discussions explored possibilities of deepening relations with Israel around shared priorities for tourism. The focus here was on topics including tourism innovation and entrepreneurship and also investments in tourism.

Also in Jerusalem, Secretary-General Pololikashvili and the UNWTO delegation received a warm welcome at the Ministry of Tourism, to discuss the deepening of cooperation between UNWTO and Israel. Discussions focused on shared priorities for tourism both in the country and across the wider region, most notably education, innovations, sustainability, data collection, accessibility, legal instruments

Tourism for Rural Development: Israel's Best Tourism Villages

To conclude the official visit, the UNWTO delegation visited Kfar Kama, named as one of the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO in 2022. The village was given the award in recognition of its commitment to harnessing the power of tourism to preserve and celebrate its unique local culture. The Israeli village of Neot Semadar was also selected to be part of the Best Tourism Villages Upgrade Programme.

Advancing Tourism Innovation

Recognizing Israel's focus on innovation and digital transformation, the UNWTO delegation met with leading representatives of the country's start-up community. Led by UNWTO Executive Director Natalia Bayona, the delegation worked with local innovators to identify the benefits that innovation and digital transformation can deliver both within tourism and in other economic sectors.

• UNWTO invited the start-up community to take advantage of its leading support network for innovators, including the various UNWTO innovation programs and competitions.
• To date, Israel participated in all UNWTO global competitions and challenges with 7 winners selected from more than 150 applicants.
• Executive Director Bayona led discussions exploring potential opportunities to further cooperate on capacity building, training and sharing knowledge related to the innovation expertise the country has when it comes to startups, entrepreneurship in the tourism sector and how they can mentor others to scale up their projects.

Related links

• Download the News Release in PDF
• UNWTO Regional Department for Europe