TURESPAÑA will be presenting Spain’s official Tourism Outlook for the upcoming summer season.
When: 30 May 2013, 5-7 p.m.
Where: Salón de Actos, Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo, Paseo de la Castellana 162
For registration and full programme, please visit www.tourspain.es.
PR No.: PR13023
The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, underscored the contribution tourism can make to peace and mutual understanding when presented the UNWTO / World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Open Letter on Travel and Tourism. By accepting the Open Letter, President Gül adds his voice to those world leaders which rally support for tourism as a key for growth and fairer development (Ankara, Turkey 28 March 2013).
Meeting UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, in Ankara, President Gül emphasised tourism’s contribution to “global peace, interaction between cultures and to the efforts to overcome biases”.
Other topics addressed during the meeting included the importance of visa facilitation in stimulating tourism growth and the most recent trends in the tourism sector in the world and in Europe with President Gül stressing that “borders must be open to travel”.
“Turkey has placed tourism firmly as a priority in the development of the country and the wellbeing of its people”, said Mr. Rifai. “The number of tourists visiting Turkey soared from less than 10 million in 2000 to nearly 35 million in 2012. This impressive growth is the result of a strong commitment to the sector and an adequate national tourism policy which includes issues such as visa facilitation for key emerging markets such as Russia”
In 2012, 34.9 million international tourists visited Turkey, generating more than US$ 25.7 billion in exports and making it the 6th most visited country in the world. Tourism is one of the leading economic activities of Turkey, accounting for 16% of all exports.
Note to Editors:
UNWTO and WTTC are jointly presenting heads of state and government around the world an Open Letter which calls on them to acknowledge tourism’s key role in delivering more sustained and balanced growth and to prioritize the sector higher in national policies in order to maximize its potential. The Open Letter outlines Travel & Tourism’s value as one of the world’s largest generators of jobs, a powerful driver of socio-economic growth and development and a key player in the transformation to the Green Economy.
To date, 48 heads of state and government have received the Open Letter from UNWTO and WTTC.
Useful links:
Open Letter to Heads of State and Government
Contacts:
UNWTO
Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
WTTC
Communications Director: Toby Nicol
Tel: (+44 ) 207481 6483
PR No.: PR13019
UNWTO European Members States, gathered in Çesme, Turkey, for the 55th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe, debated the state of tourism in the region and the way forward under the current economic situation. Topics on discussion included visa facilitation and the promotion of domestic tourism as means to stimulate growth (27 March 2013).
Hosted by the Government of Turkey, the meeting was chaired by the Minister of Tourism of Greece, Olga Kefalogianni, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Abdurrahman Arıci, the Minister of Economy of Lithuania, Birutè Vesaite, and UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
“The 55th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe was an excellent opportunity to exchange information about tourism trends in Europe and in the world as well as to share views about the challenges and opportunities facing European tourism.” said Kefalogianni. “In this respect, UNWTO acts as an important support to us through the expertise it offers to its Member States.”
“The common mission of all tourism stakeholders should be to work towards promoting greater awareness of the sector, especially to promote its sustainability. In Turkey, we firmly believe that the growth of tourism can only be achieved through an international collaborative vision.” said Arıcı
“The annual meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe aims to achieve a greater regional coordination and to engage UNWTO Member States in the activities of the Organization. Amidst the current economic situation, cooperation and the exchange of views and good practices between countries in Europe becomes ever more important”, said Rifai.
During the meeting, UNWTO advanced two important initiatives to promote a sustainable and responsible tourism. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sustainable tourism development was signed between Greece and UNWTO. The MoU includes the promotion of sustainable tourism practices and the introduction of measures that respond to climate change impacts in Greek destinations. It expands to a national level the cooperation recently established between UNWTO and Greece through the opening of a sustainable tourism observatory in the Aegean islands.
In the framework of the UNWTO Campaign to engage the private sector in the promotion and implementation of ethical principles and practices in business operations, five representatives from Turkey’s tourism private sector - Festtravel, TOBB, TUROFED, TURSAB, and the Turkish Tourism Investors Association – joined the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. Through the Commitment companies pledge to uphold, promote and implement the values of responsible and sustainable tourism development championed by the Code of Ethics.
“Tourism is an important part of Europe’s economy. In order to raise tourism sector’s competitiveness and ensure its sustainable growth we highly support UNWTO’s initiative to promote the application of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism principles to tourism business worldwide.” said the Minister of Economy of Lithuania, Birutè Vesaite.
Contacts:
UNWTO
Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
PR No.: 13011
The “Monitoring Centre for Sustainable Tourism Observatories” was inaugurated on the Aegean Islands, the main archipelago of Greece. This first Sustainable Tourism Observatory in Europe under the auspices of UNWTO will monitor the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism in the archipelago and serve as a model to expand the concept to a national level. (5 February 2013)
Established by the University of the Aegean in collaboration with UNWTO and with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, the Centre will monitor and implement sustainable tourism practices in close cooperation with the tourism public and private sector in the area of the Aegean.
“Greece is endowed with a rich cultural and natural heritage; it is evident that the relationship between tourism and the environment is a central concern for our national strategy”, said the Minister of Tourism of Greece, Olga Kefalogianni. Set in the framework of Greece’s special action programme in collaboration with key environmental partners, such as the Academy of Athens, “any initiative contributing to this purpose finds the active support of the Ministry of Tourism”, she added.
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai stressed that “the establishment of the Aegean Observatory will provide critical information to better manage the advancement of sustainability in one of the prime destinations of the Mediterranean”; adding that “only by better understanding the interaction between tourism and its surrounding, can we improve existing sustainable tourism initiatives and ensure that tourism continues to work for the local population and the destination as a whole”.
The Observatory of the Aegean Islands joins the five existing sustainable tourism observatories established in China under the auspices of UNWTO.
About the Global Tourism Observatories:
In order to strengthen institutional capacities for information management and monitoring in support of decision and policy making, UNWTO launched the concept of the Global Observatory of Sustainable Tourism (GOST) based on the UNWTO methodology for sustainable tourism indicators. GOST intends to facilitate the establishment of a network of observatories at all levels, through the use of a systematic application of monitoring, evaluation (sustainable tourism indicators) and information management techniques, as key tools for the formulation and implementation of sustainable tourism policies, strategies, plans and management processes.
Relevant links:
UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Indicators: /en/content/indicators-sustainability-tourism-destinations
UNWTO Global Tourism Observatories: /en/content/global-observatory-sustainable-tourism-gost
Contacts:
UNWTO Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications Programme
Tel: +34 91-567-8100
Fax: +34 91-567-8218
PR No.: 13010
Ensuring that tourism facilities and sites meet the needs of persons with disabilities, both as a key means of promoting tourism for all and as an engine for market growth, were the main focus of the International Conference on "Accessibility in tourism: an ethical value, a business opportunity" (14 February 2013, BIT Milan, Italy).
The event, organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics hosted by the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers at the Office for Tourism Policies of the Department of Regional Affairs, Tourism and Sport in Rome, was held with the support of UNWTO and constitutes another significant step in the Organization’s endeavours in the area of accessibility. Participants included representatives from hotels, tourism companies, disabled persons organizations and students from three higher tourism education centres in Italy.
“Accessibility in tourism is a right and an ethical obligation, but it is also an important business opportunity,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, opening the event. “Accessibility should be an integral part of all tourism facilities, products and services, ideally from their very inception, or through the adaptation of existing tourism supply,” he added.
“As underlined by Secretary-General Rifai, the element which we intend to highlight today is that full accessibility in tourism, besides being an ethical responsibility, is also a development opportunity for the whole sector. For this reason, the Italian government, and I as Minister, have advanced numerous actions that have given a strong impulse to accessibility, with the involvement of all stakeholders. Today’s initiative is part of these efforts”, said the Minister for Regional Affairs, Tourism and Sport of Italy, Piero Gnudi.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one billion people worldwide – 15% of the global population – suffer from some form of disability. This number is expected to continue rising as a result of demographic changes, particularly the rapid ageing of the global population.
Accessibility is one of the key areas of UNWTO’s work in sustainable tourism development. Article 7 of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism – a guide for the promotion of sustainable, responsible and accessible tourism endorsed by the United Nations in 2001 - calls for the facilitation of tourism by all persons.
The International Conference on Accessibility in Tourism: an Ethical Value, a Business Opportunity was held in the framework of the Italian tourism fair, BIT Milan. On this occasion, the UNWTO Secretary-General joined Minister Gnudi in the presentation of Italy’s Strategic Tourism Plan, “Italy 2020”, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Italy regarding the Permanent Secretariat of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, established in Rome in November 2008.
Useful links:
UNWTO Global Code of Ethics: /background-global-code-ethics-tourism
UNWTO Resolutions and Recommendations on Accessible Tourism:
/en/content/resolutions-and-recommendations-tourism-accessibility
Contacts:
Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications Programme
Tel: +34 91-567-8100
Fax: +34 91-567-8218
PR No.: PR13008
The French Travel Agents Association – SNAV, les Professionnels du Voyage – has signed the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. With this signing, SNAV commits to promote sustainable tourism practices, with a special focus on socio-cultural and economic issues (2 February, Tenerife, Spain).
The signing of the Code entails the commitment by SNAV to promote and implement the values of responsible and sustainable tourism development championed by the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics.
“With this adherence, SNAV pledges to observe the principles of the Code as well as to disseminate and report on its implementation in SNAV’s corporate governance”, said Fréderic Pierret, UNWTO Executive Director for Programme and Coordination, who represented UNWTO at the signing held on the occasion of the SNAV Congress in Tenerife, Spain. “We are proud to have SNAV embracing the principles of ethical, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism”, he added.
For Georges Colson, President of SNAV, “The signature of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism represents a strong and necessary commitment. We, French tourism professionals, are very pleased to join the signatories of the Code. Indeed, we must be the guardians of a new balance in the implementation of our businesses; a balance that fully respects the environment and our fellowmen”.
Together with the environmental sustainability components being increasingly incorporated into businesses operations across the globe, the Commitment seeks to draw particular attention to issues such as human rights, social inclusion, gender equality, accessibility, and the protection of vulnerable groups and host communities.
Note to editors:
SNAV – les Professionnels du Voyage (snav.amadeus.fr) represents more than 1,400 tourism enterprises, generating more than € 24 billion in annual turnover.
Adopted in 1999 by the UNWTO General Assembly and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is a set of principles designed to guide the development of tourism in a way that maximizes the socio-economic benefits of the sector, while minimizing any negative impacts.
Relevant links:
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
Contacts:
UNWTO Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications Programme
Tel: +34 91-567-8100
Fax: +34 91-567-8218
2013
The University of the Aegean
Aegean Islands, Greece
(2 regions; 48 islands))
The Aegean Islands Observatory was the first sustainable tourism observatory of INSTO in Europe. It was created to establish permanent structures and procedures for monitoring in order to complete data gaps that are however essential for well-informed decision making.
More information coming soon.
MISSION
The main goal of the observatory is to collect tourism-related data on a regular basis in order to assess the impacts of tourism in the main archipelago of Greece, the Aegean Islands. Through continuous and timely measurement that goes beyond the traditional economic indicators, the objective is to better understand and manage the performance of tourism activity in the region, fostering the sustainable development of tourism based on evidence.
Economic impacts of tourism, including the state of the labor market
Seasonality
Local satisfaction with tourism
Visitor satisfaction
Production patterns, including environmental information
The Aegean Islands are composed of two sub-regions. From the 48 islands that belong to the entire monitoring area, only 42 are inhabited. Although there are a lot of similarities when looking at the region from a sub-national level, there are nevertheless many disparities among each individual island, with each of them having very distinct characteristics. While this poses specific challenges in terms of data monitoring, the continuous tourism development in the region, and the importance of the sector for the country in general, make regular measurement beyond the economic sphere even more so important.
PR No.: PR13003
The Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ANVR), representing 200 tour operators and 1,400 travel agencies in the Netherlands, has pledged to observe the principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (Utrecht, the Netherlands, 9 January 2013).
The ANVR joins the growing number of tourism companies and associations to sign a Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Code of Ethics, pledging to promote and implement the values of responsible and sustainable tourism development as championed by the Code. The signature took place during the ANVR event “Changes in Tourism”, held at the Dutch travel fair Vakantiebeurs, with the participation of HRH Princess Laurentien van Oranje.
“We are delighted that the ANVR is adding its voice to those embracing the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the signing of the commitment in Utrecht. “As the only association in the world which has made it mandatory for all its members to appoint a trained sustainability coordinator, ANVR is a clear example of how the private sector can move forward in the implementation of the Code.”
“On Behalf of the Dutch tour operators and travel agents we, as the Netherlands Association, are very proud that we have signed the code. We strongly believe that the tourism sector can and must play a very important role in improving and stimulating a sustainable future for the people at the various destinations. It is our conviction that tourism in that way is part of the solution by realising a sustainable future. Signing the Code plays a very important part in that vision. I strongly encourage other travel companies and organizations to sign the Ccode and I would like to thank the UNWTO for this wonderful initiative”, said Frank Oostdam, Director of ANVR.
On his visit to the Netherlands, Mr. Rifai also handed Travelife Certified certificates to three Dutch Tour Operators – TUI Nederland, SNP Natuurreizen and Kuoni Specialists – an international certification scheme for tour operators and travel agents. Travelife for tour operators recently received, as the first certification scheme for tour operators, ‘recognized’ status from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), of which UNWTO is a founding partner and board member.
Note to editors:
Adopted in 1999 by the UNWTO General Assembly and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is a set of principles designed to guide the development of tourism in a way that maximizes the socio-economic benefits of the sector, while minimizing any negative impacts.
Relevant links:
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
Contacts:
UNWTO Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications Programme
Tel: +34 91-567-8100
Fax: +34 91-567-8218