The UNWTO.TedQual Programme is pleased to announce that the following Tourism Education Programmes at Auckland University of Technology has been awarded the UNWTO.TedQual Certification:
List of Institutions with UNWTO.TedQual certified tourism education and training programmes:
http://academy.unwto.org/content/institutions-unwtotedqual-certified-programmes
The UNWTO.TedQual Programme is pleased to announce that the following Tourism Education Programmes at Zhuhai College of Jilin University have been awarded the UNWTO.TedQual Certification:
List of Institutions with UNWTO.TedQual certified tourism education and training programmes (http://academy.unwto.org/
programmes)
Fact Sheet on the Easter Sunday Attacks (4/21) in Sri Lanka - 6 May 2019
Press releases:
For further information on Sri Lanka, please contact:
Media Unit, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)
Tel: 0112426900 (Ext.: 243)
UNWTO has successfully completed a mission to Ulaanbaatar to organise a two-day national tourism workshop in response to a requestreceived from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) of Mongolia for technical assistance to increase international tourist arrivals.
In line with the request, the main purpose of the workshop was capacity-building on overall tourism planning, product diversification and sub-themes on tourism growth management and planning.
Mongolia is a relatively unknown destination compared to other more popular destinations in Asia and as a result receives a relatively low volume of international tourist arrivals. This is in spite of its great potential for tourism development which is evident in its vast areas of pristine natural environments with abundant wildlife and flora.
Mongolia’s tourism sector and the tourism products it offers differ in many ways from those of other countries owing to reasons such as its geographic location, its immense territory and its developing infrastructure. Currently, the majority of tourism activity in Mongolia takes place along the ‘traditional tourism triangle’ which stretches in the form of a circuit from Ulaanbaatar City to Uvurkhangai Province in central Mongolia, Umnugovi Province in the south, Khuvsgul Province in the north west and back to Ulaanbaatar City.
In response to the government’s request for support in the diversification of Mongolia’s tourism products to beef up the flow of international tourists, UNWTO has made a number of recommendations including the improvement of internal road and rail network for tourism penetration into more remote areas of Mongolia; increasing current restricted capacities in air transport and easing onerous visa procedures for some nationalities; allocation of additional landing rights to airlines; and the formulation of national and regional tourism master plans or the incorporation of clear tourism policies within the existing national planning framework.
The mission also addressed critical tourism planning issues that will arise in Mongolia in the light of the Government’s policy of increasing international tourism arrivals and improving the environmental sustainability of domestic tourism. At the macro level, the workshop served as a platform to increase awareness of the potential benefits that tourism can bring to Mongolia economically, socially, and environmentally, so that the sector can be perceived, together with animal husbandry and mining, as one of the three main pillars of the Mongolian economy.
Important new developments and trends that emerged from the workshop and which could aid in advancing the government’s attempts to increase international tourist arrivals include the opening of the new airport in Ulaanbaatar, the longer-term planning of six regional airports which will allow direct access to regional destinations, and the need for a sustainable distribution of tourists (both international and domestic) as well as sound tourism destination management.
The workshop attracted about 120 participants from MET’s regional offices, national travel agents and tour operators, tourism associations, academic institutions, conservation groups, NGOs and representatives from the Prime Minister’s office.
The UNWTO/Chimelong Sub-regional Capacity Building Workshop on Sustainable Tourism and Biodiversity Conservation for the Mekong Subregion Member States was held on 19-21 February 2019 in Pakse, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao DPR).
Organized under the framework of the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative and in line with UNWTO’s priority on fostering knowledge, education and capacity building, this sub-regional workshop focused on enhancing the quality of human capital in the field of sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation within the Mekong river area.
The event aimed to motivate local tourism employees and communities to act as champions of biodiversity conservation and environmental protection along the Mekong, which will help ensure sustained income generation for the local people as a result of tourism activities. Also it aimed to raise awareness among local tourism stakeholders and the communities of the importance of biodiversity conservation along the Mekong and how to address environmental issues while undertaking tourism activities.
The workshop was attended by tourism officials from Lao PDR at the local and provincial level, and selected local people who are self-employed in the tourism sector. Representatives from the national tourism administrations of the Great Mekong Subregion Countries (Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) also attended the workshop, shared their experiences and explored opportunities to replicate the workshop in their countries.
For further information, please contact Ms. Hyeon-Jin Lee: hjlee@unwto.org
Vanuatu, one of UNWTO’s key member States in the Pacific has recently made history by becoming the first nation in the world to ban the use, manufacture and importation of drinking straws, polystyrene takeaway boxes and single use plastic bags.
This historic initiative is in line with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) which as of February 2018 has been rebranded as One Planet network - a collaborative platform, that brings together existing initiatives and partnerships and facilitates new projects and activities to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in tourism in both developed and developing countries.
According to the UN Environment, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is about inter alia, producing less waste and pollution and sustainable practices for the industry as well as consumers. Resolution 66/288 of the United Nations General Assembly reaffirmed that the promotion of SCP is among the general objectives and essential requirements for sustainable development and is essential to achieve fundamental changes in the way societies consume and produce, to achieve global sustainable development.
It is in light of this that Vanuatu’s complete ban of the use of plastic on its islands becomes a great achievement with global significance. Together with other Pacific nations, Vanuatu has also committed to banning imports of products containing plastic micro-beads - the first steps towards the complete ban of all plastic including plastic bottles.
The global importance of plastic pollution of the oceans rests on its devastating effects on the environment and the threat it poses to food security as well as the health and wellbeing of people of all nations. For example, heavy metals and other toxic components attached to pieces of plastic in the Oceans are being eaten by tuna and other kinds of fish and marine animals that are being caught and exported without checking their toxicity levels. Moreover, the burning of plastic bags releases dioxin – a chemical that affects the human immune system and is associated with causing cancer.
Consequently, the legislation regulating this historical ban was introduced by the joint effort of the Government and the people of Vanuatu when the citizens started the ‘No plastic bag, plis’ campaign and presented a petition with almost 2000 signatures expressing their support to the new law.
Presently, Vanuatu is also working together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) on a communication strategy and an implementation plan regarding the plastic ban that will benefit not only Vanuatu but the whole Pacific region.
On a global level, and with the financial support of United Kingdom, Vanuatu leads the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance (CCOA) – an initiative that has already attracted the interest of Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ghana. The main aim of CCOA is to work together to stop more plastic ending up in the Oceans by introducing various initiatives and boosting global research on the matter - including preventing plastic and other environmental pollution from being manufactured in developing countries.
Vanuatu’s drastic move of completely banning the use of plastic is not without some challenges stemming from its condition as an island nation and the economic unviability of recycling. Yet Vanuatu is determined to look for sustainable solutions to the issue of plastic pollution and has made it an integral part of its National Ocean Policy.
One of these sustainable solutions includes the re-discovery of traditional practices deeply rooted in the culture of Vanuatu such as the baskets woven by the ‘Mamas of Vanuatu’. These baskets are both sustainable and beautiful and the art of making them is a great way of showing elements of Vanuatuan culture to tourists and, in many cases, teaching them how to implement similar solutions at home.
The making of these traditional bags and baskets as well as the use of natural and perennial plant-based materials to create cutlery, plates and other food containers creates jobs, while opening doors for more creativity and innovative ways of looking at waste management to prevent plastic and other waste from ending up in the Ocean.
The people of Vanuatu are proud to share the beauty of their culture and their commitment to sustainable tourism with visitors to their islands; and the plastic ban is one way of fostering this as it does not only protect the terrestrial and marine environment but also makes it possible for tourists to feel more responsible and engaged in the country’s traditional and sustainable ways.
All things considered, Vanuatu’s plastic banning initiative exemplifies a strong advocacy of the achievement of the 17 SDGs and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and beyond. This is because its implementation is closely linked to SDG12 (ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns), with the potential to advance other SDGs as well (among them SDG8 which focuses on decent work and economic growth, or SDGs14 and SDG15 on marine and terrestrial resources).