PR No.: PR16105
UNWTO is deeply shocked by the tragic attack perpetrated in Istanbul, Turkey. On the behalf of the entire international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to the Turkish people in this difficult moment.
"On the behalf of the entire international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and expresses its full solidarity with the people and the Government of Turkey” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
“This tragic event reminds us once more that we are facing a global threat that requires a firm and coordinated response by all governments and the international community. Turkey is a leading tourism destination and we are confident it will continue to be so” he added.
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
PR No.: PR16102
In an official visit to Brussels, Belgium on 7 December, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai emphasized the role that municipalities and regions play in the development of sustainable and competitive tourism in Europe.
Rifai was a special guest at the 120th Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union, where he addressed its 350 members on the occasion of the debate and adoption of the opinion on ‘Tourism as a driving force for regional cooperation across the EU’. Meeting the rapporteur of the opinion, Hans-Peter Wagner, Mayor of Breitenwang (Austria), Rifai stressed the relevance of tourism at regional level in terms of socio-economic and cultural development, and the need to enhance regional cooperation.
“European cities, regions and municipalities are key pillars to foster sustainable and competitive tourism. This is the moment to lay the foundations for a new paradigm for the tourism sector; to embrace a sustainable, inclusive and responsible tourism sector that makes clear business sense, drives local development and builds a sense of common future in Europe,” said Rifai in his intervention.
As part of his visit, the Secretary-General met a number of Members of the European Parliament. The bilateral discussions focused on how to further strengthen the ongoing cooperation between the two entities in light of the forthcoming International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017 and European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018.
In a meeting between Rifai and Claudia Tapardel, Co-Chair of the Intergroup on European Tourism Development, it was agreed that two major UNWTO/European Parliament events will be held in 2017, one of which in Romania on the digitalisation of the tourism sector and seasonality.
“This will be an ideal opportunity to discuss the concrete challenges of Romanian tourism, starting with the economic impact of seasonality and ending with professional training of employees in the field,” said Tapardel.
“Romania has been advancing strongly in tourism development and I would encourage the incoming government to consider the creation of a dedicated tourism ministry to make the best use of Romania’s opportunities in the sector. Romania would greatly benefit from a coordinated and centralized approach to tourism that further stresses the links between the sector and SMEs,” Rifai added.
The European Capital of Tourism as a catalyst to promote tourism
The UNWTO Secretary-General also praised the ‘European Capital of Tourism’ initiative led by Istvan Ujhelyi, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism and responsible for the Tourism Task Force Group of the European Parliament.
“UNWTO is very happy to support such an innovative initiative as it can help promote the richness of the tourism offer of European regions and cities while increasing citizens' pride in sharing local tourism-related values,” said Rifai in a debate conducted with stakeholders of the European Tourism Manifesto and private sector representatives.
UNWTO Secretary-General also met Committee member Claudia Monteiro de Aguilar, who expressed her appreciation for the continuous support of UNWTO to the tourism sector in Portugal.
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
PR No.: PR 16096
The World Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria will jointly host the International Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism on 29 November - 1 December 2016 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Congress will discuss how creative tourism can play a significant role in safeguarding and promoting tangible and intangible heritage as well as in generating socio-economic benefits.
In 2015, almost 1.2 billion international tourists travelled the world and UNWTO forecasts continued growth in the years to come. UNWTO estimates that cultural tourism accounts for around 40% of all international tourist arrivals as per the report ‘Tourism and Culture Synergies’.
The conference will address how world civilizations can be brought back to life through the collaboration with creative industries – such as architecture, design, arts, technology and science – while contributing to sustainable tourism development.
A high‑level debate moderated by CNN’s Max Foster will gather 20 ministers of tourism from around the world to discuss how effective partnership models can be developed to contribute to safeguarding and promoting world civilizations, while creating socio-economic benefits for local communities.
In 2015, Bulgaria received 7 million international tourists generating US$ 3.1 billion in exports. It is expected that this year the country, whose population is around 7 million, will welcome more than 8 million international tourists – up from 6 million in 2010. These results reflect the commitment of Bulgaria to tourism development, including the creation in 2014 and for the first time of a dedicated Ministry of Tourism.
Additional information:
Contacts:
UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Rut Gómez
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@UNWTO.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
PR No.: PR 16090
Under the title ‘Religious Heritage and Tourism,’ Utrech in the Netherlands hosted a 2-day UNWTO Conference on 5-7 October to underline the potential of this segment to promote the growth of the sector while fostering cultural understanding. The Conference was held in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the Museum Catharijneconvent, the Centre for Religious Art and Culture (Flanders) and the Dutch Future for Religious Heritage Program Future for Religious Heritage.
One of the major travel motivations is to visit religious sites, essential elements of humankind history and culture. As religious tourism increases every year, UNWTO promotes its strong potential as well as its capacity to build understanding among different faiths and cultures.
“We suffer from deficits of different kind, being the lack of tolerance and understanding, a major one. Religious tourism is one of the driving forces to bring people from varied backgrounds together under a common cause: the admiration and protection of heritage of tangible and intangible nature,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the inauguration of the event.
The issues of heritage conservation were a major topic of discussion, particularly in those cases where congestion constitutes a key challenge.
The Conference underlined the contribution of religious tourism to economic prosperity and the role of religious tourism as an added value to the offer of cities, villages and regions. In this respect, the event focused on developing methodologies to assess the social and economic impact of religious heritage tourism and strategies to develop these sites as authentic travel destinations.
Other topics discussed included marketing strategies to improve access to information related to religious heritage tourism, the role of religious communities to promote religious heritage, the importance of investing in new technologies and capacity building and the role of historic commemorations in promoting religious tourism.
Additional information:
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
EBRD Communications Adviser Nibal Zgheib
Tel: (+44) 207 338 7753 ZgheibN@ebrd.com
PR No.: PR16080
The Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory (CROSTO) has become a member of the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO). This Observatory, hosted by the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb, is responsible for monitoring sustainable tourism in the Adriatic Croatia.
“Sustainable tourism development requires adequate measurement and evidence-based decision-making. We are very pleased to welcome the Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory to the UNWTO INSTO Network. We trust it can make a key contribution to support the vision set by Croatia for the future of its tourism sector; a sector that contributes to the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.
“Through its membership in INSTO, Croatia is also sharing the global strategic commitment to act responsibly and with care towards the space we live in,” mentioned the Minister of Tourism of Croatia, Gari Cappelli.
Croatia’s commitment to sustainability has been emphasized in its Tourism Development Strategy 2020. The initiative aims at fostering innovation in the framework of sustainable tourism. The efforts of the country in that regard have been recognized by the European Commission through the ETIS Award to the City of Mali Lošinj. The breadth and depth of insights gathered on sustainable tourism practices on the island have been particularly praised in that recognition.
Additional information:
About the UNWTO Network of Observatories
About the joint ETIS and Accessible Tourism Awards
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
2016
The Institute for Tourism
Zagreb, Croatia
Adriatic Croatia
(the coastal part of Croatia, including seven counties)
The Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory (CROSTO) was established to support the vision set by Croatia for the future of its tourism sector. Through regular and timely monitoring of sustainable tourism in the Adriatic Croatia, the observatory helps to raise awareness of the possible positive and negative impacts of tourism development in the region.
MISSION
The main objective of CROSTO is to continuously measure and monitor the development of sustainable tourism in the most tourism developed region of Croatia (Adriatic Croatia). Through the establishment of periodic and systematic monitoring processes, the observatory is key to observe and understand issues related to sustainable tourism, supporting local stakeholders in their decision-making processes with essential evidence. By applying and the European Tourism Indicator System among local communities and at the same time being part of INSTO, the observatory’s main tools in realization of its vision will be promotion, education and knowledge transfer. The long-term objective of CROSTO is to help establishing more observatories within the country and serve as coordinating entity, seeking to support sustainable tourism throughout the entire country in the future.
CROSTO is a integrated unit within the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb, Croatia. It is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of Institute’s researchers.
Satisfaction of the host communities
Visitor satisfaction
Local economic benefits and employment
Tourism seasonality
Energy, water and waste control
Spatial development control
Croatia’s commitment to sustainability has been emphasized in its Tourism Development Strategy 2020. The initiative aims at fostering innovation in the framework of sustainable tourism. The efforts of the country in that regard have been recognized by the European Commission through the ETIS Award to the City of Mali Lošinj. The breadth and depth of insights gathered on sustainable tourism practices on the island have been particularly praised in that recognition.
UNWTO is deeply shocked by the hideous attack perpetrated in Nice. On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to the French people in this difficult moment.
"On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and expresses its full solidarity with the people and the Government of France” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Nice is, and will continue to be, one of the leading tourism destinations in France and in the world. In the face of these forces of darkness, we must more than ever remain united to fight this global threat” he added.
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218