Rural Development and Recovery Focus of Executive Training Programme

• Asia and the Pacific
• 18 Dec 2020

Tourism leaders from 18 countries met for the 14th annual UNWTO Asia-Pacific Executive Training Programme. In line with UNWTO’s Year of Tourism and Rural Development, the three-day programme focused on sharing knowledge and good practice relating to harnessing the power of the sector to create opportunities for all outside of big cities.

Since 2006, UNWTO has organized the special training session with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea. This Executive Training Programme is the only initiative of its kind in the region and is renowned for its stimulating content and thought-provoking discussions. Participants are able to design and formulate policies and programmes in their respective destinations to further stimulate tourism growth and enable the sector to be a viable force for good.

This 14th session, held virtually between 15-17 December, welcomed 37 participants from 18 different countries. The event was opened by Mr. Harry Hwang, Director for the Regional Department of Asia and the Pacific, followed by pre-recorded congratulatory remarks from both UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, and Vice-Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Ms. Youn-he Choi.

Among the topics addressed were governance and community development for enhanced rural development, and product development and commercialization of tourism experiences in rural areas. Also, and in line with UNWTO’s wider focus on innovation as a means of driving recovery, participants explored ideas relating to the digital transformation of tourism, including the potential to create new education and work opportunities. Furthermore, a special feature of this year’s edition of the Training Programme was a Special Session on Restarting International Tourism which presented successful case studies China, Greece, The Maldives, Portugal and the Republic of Korea. 

Finally, recognizing the unprecedented impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on global tourism, the training programme aimed to facilitate the sharing of good practices for the recovery of tourism with practical examples from the region and beyond. The Minister of Tourism of the Maldives, H.E. Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, presented encouraging numbers of international tourists in the Maldives, with over 35,759 international arrivals in November compared to 1,752 in July when the country started to reopen its borders. This was all thanks to the successful implementation of regulations and health protocols involving PCR testing, the creation of a tourist help desk at the airport, monitoring of inter-resort movements, and compliance training for tourism staff.

Related links

• Download the press release in PDF
• Regional Departament Asia and the Pacific

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UNWTO Works With Government of Indonesia to Restart Tourism in Bali

• Asia and the Pacific
• 8 Dec 2020

UNWTO has concluded a first in-person visit to Bali since the start of the pandemic. The delegation met with key figures from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to advance collaboration as the country gets ready to reopen its borders to international visitors and restart tourism.

In partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, UNWTO hosted a special Capacity Building Workshop on Restarting International Tourism in Bali. The workshop counted on the participation of more than 30 leaders from across the tourism sector, with a further 150 experts and leaders joining virtually. Discussions focused on the government’s strategy to restart tourism, including the formulation of policies, procedures, health infrastructure and immigration protocols adapted to reflect the new reality.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mahendra Siregar welcomed participants and thanked UNWTO for its leadership throughout the crisis. The Vice Minister also underlined the importance of collaboration as both the public and private sectors work together to restart tourism for the benefit of not only visitors to Bali but for all stakeholders, including tourism workers and service providers.

Enhanced protocols for tourism’s restart

Outlining the steps being taken to adapt and make tourism safe, Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy Giri Adnyani announced that the Ministry has issued Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environment Sustainability (CHSE) protocols and certification programmes. These are based on protocols established by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Transportation as well as by UNWTO and ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization).

Also addressing the workshop, the Vice Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha noted that tourism arrivals to Bali fell by 12% in the third quarter when compared to 2019 levels. However, since re-opening to domestic tourists at the end of July, numbers have started to rise again. The workshop concluded with the Government of Indonesia setting out plans for a phased approach to welcome international tourists in Bali. This will be closely monitored with the aim of rolling it out to the rest of Indonesia. UNWTO welcomed the plans and endorsed Indonesia’s Clean, Health, Safety, and Environment Sustainability initiative which emphasizes the importance of maintaining health and safety standards in accordance with internationally accepted protocols.

Alongside the workshop, the UNWTO delegation conducted visits to the airport and several tourist destinations. Here they saw first-hand the implementation of new health and safety protocols developed by the government of Indonesia to prepare the reopening of Bali to international tourists.

Related links

• Download the press release in PDF
• Reopening Bali for International Tourists
• Covid-19: Putting people first
• Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific