PR No.: 16053

The two-day event held in Budapest gathered experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU), the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the European Spas Association, the Global Wellness Institute and Spaincares among others. Representatives from the health-related tourism sector from Hungary, Lithuania, Malaysia and Mexico attended the event.

Gusztáv Bienerth, Hungarian Commissioner for Tourism, highlighted the importance of health-related tourism in Hungary’s tourism sector, as well as the role of the country in the global market of health tourism, while underlining the relevance of the event.

Discussions were based on the ongoing ETC and UNWTO research on health tourism, a complex and not yet well-defined segment. This report is the first attempt to set a coherent conceptualization of health tourism and define the motivations behind travelers looking for health-related services.

“The need to better understand an emerging, global, complex and rapidly changing phenomenon such as wellness and medical tourism has become essential to tap into its growth potential”, said Márcio Favilla, UNWTO Executive Director for Operational Programmes and Institutional Relations.

“For ETC and UNWTO it is very important that we provide tourism authorities, managers and experts with a better understanding of the health tourism phenomenon and  jointly cooperate to identify and provide a consistent terminology that lays the foundations for this promising sector”, said Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of ETC.

Participants debated the taxonomy proposed in the research to agree on a consistent terminology to define and describe the system of travelling for health purposes. Furthermore, the Roundtable explored the latest trends shaping health tourism and how tourism destinations can tap into these opportunities.

The final report establishing common grounds for a health-related tourism taxonomy will be published by the end of 2016.

Additional information:

Full list of participants: the World Health Organization, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the World Travel and Tourism Council, the European Spas Association, the Global Wellness Institute, Spaincares, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, the Mexican Council for the Medical Tourism Industry, the Lithuania Medical Tourism Cluster, the Lithuania State Department of Tourism, the Hungarian Tourism Agency, the Hungarian Hotel Association, the Danubius Hotels, Xellum and Intuition Communication.

The research ‘Exploring Health Tourism’ commissioned by ETC and UNWTO was prepared by László Puczkó and Melanie Smith (Xellum), with the support of the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ).

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer: Rut Gomez
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218

"On 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. “Today we were reminded once again that we are facing a global threat that requires a firm and coordinated response by all governments and the international community”, he added.                           

Mr Rifai recalled that safety and security is a priority for the tourism sector and that the sector is being targeted as a pillar of the economy and livelihoods in many countries. He called upon the international tourism community to stand by Turkey in facing this challenge and recalled that at times as this “we need to cooperate and not isolate affected destinations”.

“Turkey is a leading tourism destination and we are confident it will continue to be so; it is now time to support Turkey” he added.
 

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer: Rut Gomez
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 

 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 

PR No.: 16052

In that regard, participants to the conference called for an integrated approach to quality management as a priority in long-term strategic planning of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) at national and sub-national levels.

An integrated quality management approach to destination management contributes to improving the image of the destination, enhances the legislative framework and minimizes operational challenges.

“We live in an increasingly competitive sector. Quality standards provide a framework to guide stakeholders to improve their operations and services along the whole tourism value chain so as to create a complete and positive tourism experience” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.     

Costin Grigore Borc, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Commerce and Relations with the Business Environment of Romania said “the dynamic changes in the global tourism market require qualitative transformation of nearly every tourism segment within a destination. For tourism destinations to survive, trends that relate to a continuous improvement of the tourism supply quality need to be intensely tracked.”

“Tourism, multi-sectorial by nature, was and still is vulnerable to market turbulence and economic crises. However, it was able to withstand the global economic crisis more than most other sectors, to relaunch as few sectors have been able to, and to quickly recover from periods of temporary weakness” remarked Anca Pavel-Nedea, President of the National Tourism Authority of Romania at the opening of the conference. 

The Conference focused on ‘destination quality’ as a step beyond ‘product/service quality’, and provided a showcase for sharing initiatives and good practices in quality management in coastal destinations, protected areas, spa/wellness destinations, urban destinations and cultural heritage destinations.

The 103rd UNWTO Executive Council Meeting held in Málaga last May approved the following definition of Quality of a Tourism Destination, as proposed by UNWTO’s Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness: "Quality of a Tourism Destination is the result of a process which implies the satisfaction of all tourism product and service needs, requirements and expectations of the consumer at an acceptable price, in conformity with mutually accepted contractual conditions and the implicit underlying factors such as safety and security, hygiene, accessibility, communication, infrastructure and public amenities and services. It also involves aspects of ethics, transparency and respect towards the human, natural and cultural environment”.

 
Additional information:

- Concept note

- Website of the conference

- Quality Standards in Tourism

- Photo album of the Conference

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 

PR No.: 16051

The Conference discussed the impact of technology on destination branding as well as the evolving roles of National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) and Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in destination branding, in view of current technological and consumer changes. The Conference was preceded by a UNWTO Masterclass on Tourism Destination Branding, which brought together representatives from the various regions of Ukraine.  

“Tourism is one of the best areas of investment and income generation,” said Ms Klympush-Tsyntsadze, opening the event. 

Ms. Yuliya Klymenko, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, presented the ten issues the Government will look to address in developing Ukraine’s tourism sector, including the review of legislation, public/private sector partnerships, the creation of a network of regional tourism brands, improving statistics and the liberalization of visa regimes.

During the Conference, Ukraine announced the implementation of visa-upon-arrival measures for Chinese tourists, complementing similar visa facilitation initiatives taken earlier this year for visitors from Australia and New Zealand.

“UNWTO has long been advocating for travel facilitation as a means to promote economic growth through tourism. We welcome very much the decision of the Government of Ukraine to concede visa upon arrival to Chinese tourists, as this is an example of its vision and commitment to tourism development,” said Mr. Rifai. “China is the world’s top source market, with US$ 292 billion spent on travelling abroad last year, and we trust this measure will yield significant benefits to the economy of Ukraine,” he added.
 

Additional information:

Ukraine Conference on Destination Branding

UNWTO Travel Facilitation

UNWTO Visa Openness Report 2015

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  

PR No.: 16049

The agreement was signed by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and the Ambassador of The Netherlands to Spain, Matthijs Van Bonzel at UNWTO Headquarters, coinciding with the European Ambassadors lunch held annually at the premises of the Organization.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said “religious tourism is a powerful instrument to raise awareness of our common responsibility in safeguarding this lasting heritage and a key agent of peace, fostering tolerance and understanding between visitors and host communities, in an amalgam of different faiths.”

On behalf of the Government of The Netherlands, Ambassador Matthijs Van Bonzel, said that “the Agreement and the cooperation with UNWTO within the theme of religious heritage and tourism form an outstanding chance to profile this fragile heritage internationally as an economic strength and chance”

Organized by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of The Netherlands jointly with the Museum Catharijneconvent, the Conference on Religious Heritage and Tourism will count with the support of the Centre for Religious Art and Culture (Flanders) and Future for Religious Heritage. The event will take place with occasion of the Dutch Future of Religious Heritage Program.

“The Netherlands is an excellent example of a country which always looks into the future, searching for innovative approaches to strengthen its tourism. Utrecht, a city which is a true expression of the cultural richness, religious heritage and diversity of The Netherlands, is the perfect place to organize such an event.” added UNWTO Secretary-General at the signing ceremony.

Additional information:

Photo album of MoU signing

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 

PR No.: 16048

Besides supporting the international visibility of the Fair which will take place in Astana next year, the Memorandum of Understanding undersigned between both parties includes the dissemination of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 and the promotion of energy efficiency in tourism and of the UNWTO Silk Road initiative.  

“This is an excellent opportunity to highlight the role that the tourism sector has in advancing a greener future,” said UNWTO Secretary-General in the signature of the agreement.

“Kazakhstan is rich in energy resources but we need to look into the future and protect our environment, and the future is renewable energies”, said Mr. Yessimov.

Specific areas of cooperation in the MoU include the promotion of the Hotel Energy Solution initiative among hotels in Kazakhstan and the organization of a Conference on Tourism and Future Energy in June 2017.

In addition, a Train the Trainers initiative will be conducted during the Astana Expo to enhance the capacities of tour operators based along the Silk Road.  

Additional information:

-More about the Astana Expo 2017

-Hotel Energy Solutions

-UNWTO Silk Road Programme

- Photo album of the MoU signing         

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 

PR No.: 16043

“In 2015, there were 29 million more international tourists in Europe than the previous year, raising the total in the region to 609 million. At a time when economic recovery is still quite slow, tourism has been a major contributor to the European economy, generating 404 billion euros in exports,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai opening the meeting.

“Although the sector continues to progress, many challenges face us. These include a rapidly changing consumer market, the impact of technology, the emergence of new business models, manmade and natural crises, and the quest to make our sector more sustainable and more responsible,” he added.

"Tourism in Lithuania has large growth potential and after this event we have even more stimulus to keep promoting our country and look for new possibilities to support tourism,” said Evaldas Gustas, Minister of Economy of Lithuania and Vice-Chair of the UNWTO Commission for Europe.

Safe, secure and seamless travel, the role of tourism in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017 were discussed at the Commission meeting.  

The following seminar explored the impacts of new business models, and in particular of the so-called ‘sharing economy’, on the tourism sector, and how ‘traditional’ businesses are responding. Speakers included BeMyGuest, the Lithuanian Hotels and Restaurants Association, Room Mate Hotels, TripAdvisor, ReviewPro, HOTREC, NBTC Holland Marketing, the European Commission, the Tourism Chamber of the Republic of Lithuania and Airbnb. Participants agreed that the opportunities afforded by new business models should be embraced but that measures should be taken to ensure both a level playing field and the protection of consumers.

On the occasion of his visit to Lithuania, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai met Lithuanian private sector representatives and the Chamber of Commerce. “Sustainable measures and other tourism policies should be applicable to all business models, so that all stakeholders across the value chain hold the same level of responsibility with regard to the sector,” said Mr Rifai. “Only by working in cooperation and by building bridges will the tourism community be able to capitalize on the strong potential of the sector,” he added.

In 2015, Europe remains the world’s most visited region with 609 million international tourist arrivals (51% of the world’s total). International tourism generated 404 billion euros in exports, 3% more than in 2014.
 

Additional information:

60^th UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe:

Pictures of the Commission

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