UNWTO Hosts Tourism Statistics Workshop for Asia and the Pacific Members in Nepal

• Asia and the Pacific
• 17 Mar 2023

UNWTO has concluded a three-day workshop focused on helping Member States from across Asia and the Pacific better measure and manage their tourism sectors.

Recognizing the importance of regional cooperation as destinations across Asia and the Pacific re-open to tourism, UNWTO organized the workshop alongside the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal and the Nepal Tourism Board and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea.

Approximately 200 participants from nine Member States took part in the workshop, which began with a high-level discussion around the theme of “Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism for people, planet and prosperity”. Speakers emphasized the need for cooperation at the national and international levels in order to generate the reliable data needed to guide the economic, social and environmental aspects of tourism for sustainable development.

Interactive training sessions

Following on from the opening discussions, UNWTO hosted a series of technical training sessions focused on tourism statistics, measuring the economic impact of tourism and measuring the sustainability of tourism, and offered an interactive platform for participants to learn and exchange good practices. Participants then reviewed fundamental basics on tourism statistics in relation to the UN statistical standard “International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008”, before they explored the technical requirements for a successful TSA compilation.

The final session introduced the MST Statistical Framework, which offered unique insights on the importance of using MST indicators for policy development and the compilation of official tourism SDG indicators.

Pan-Regional Participation

Taking part in the workshop were high-level representatives from the National Tourism Administrations and National Statistical Offices of Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Maldives and Thailand, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative of Nepal.  

Related links:

• Download the News Release in PDF
• UNWTO Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific
• UWNTO: Tourism Statistics

UNWTO Looks to “Re-Write Tourism History” at Official Re-Opening of China

• Asia and the Pacific
• 24 Feb 2023

UNWTO has heralded the re-opening of China as ‘the final piece in tourism’s recovery’ from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history.

Leading a high-level delegation to the city of Hangzhou to join in the official re-opening, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, warmly welcomed the lifting of travel restrictions as a major boost to economic growth and social opportunity both in Asia and the Pacific and globally. According to UNWTO data, the pandemic cost destinations worldwide a combined US$270 billion in Chinese outbound tourist spending in 2020 and 2021 alone. The re-opening of borders therefore represents “the moment the world has been waiting for”, Mr Pololikashvili noted.

The UNWTO Secretary-General is the first UN Head of Agency to visit China since restrictions were lifted. China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping welcomed UNWTO’s support throughout the pandemic and for joining the official re-opening celebrations. In a bilateral meeting, Minister Hu Heping and Secretary-General Pololikashvili agreed to further deepen their collaboration around positioning tourism on the agenda for international development cooperation and in the key areas of tourism education and tourism for rural development.

According to UNWTO data, China grew to be the biggest tourism source market in the world prior to the pandemic. In 2019, Chinese tourists spent a collective US$255 billion on international travel, while domestic tourism served as a pillar of growth and employment, with more than 6 billion trips that year alone, supporting jobs and businesses across the country.

Tourism for rural development

Reflecting UNWTO’s work to make tourism a driving force of rural development, the high-level delegation was welcomed to Yucun, one of four Chinese destinations to be recognized among the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’. The village was awarded the recognition for its commitment to making tourism a source of local opportunity, in addition to its commitment to eco-friendly tourism and pioneering approach to waste management at the destination-level.

Public and private sectors re-think tourism

UNWTO was welcomed as a partner of the Xianghu Dialogue, organized by the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) in the city of Hangzhou. Held around the theme of “A New Paradigm for a New Tourism”, the event brought together public and private sector leaders to re-think the sector’s future around the key priorities of sustainability, equality and resilience.

Key topics addressed over the two days included promoting collaborative tourism development amongst countries and regions, international cooperation and poverty reduction through tourism, smart connectivity, destination management and planning, and innovation and new business models. The UNWTO delegation met with private sector leaders, including from the Chinese global technology company Alibaba, which is headquartered in Hangzhou.

China as key tourism partner

In the past year, China has established itself as a leading supporter of UNWTO in several core priority areas. These include Nature Positive Tourism, which UNWTO placed on the agenda of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), for which China served as President.

UNWTO will return to China in September for the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), to be held in Macau. The tenth edition of the Forum will again provide a platform for governments, business leaders, experts, and academics to advance shared plans for the sustainable development of tourism.

Related Links

• Download in PDF
• UNWTO Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific