PR No.: PR
The International Workshop on Pakistan Tourism organized by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in collaboration with United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) held from 29-30 January 2018 in Islamabad, attracted over 250 participants from the public and private sectors, as well as academic and research institutions in the tourism industry of Pakistan. A feature of the workshop was a roundtable discussion on 30 January that was attended by more than 30 high-level delegates representing Pakistan Tourism.
The workshop was specifically designed to review the current quality and standard of the country’s tourism product, both existing and potential, in terms of its diversity (natural, cultural, and recreational), which positively enhanced the collaboration between UNWTO and PTDC.
Mr. Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Managing Director, PTDC, drew attention in his welcome remarks to the appropriateness of the conference in helping to raise the profile of Pakistan tourism as a viable socio-economic sector that could contribute substantially to the national economy. He stressed that the organising of the international tourism event was a great opportunity to showcase Pakistan’s tourism assets, and strengthen institutional relations between UNWTO and Pakistan.
Mr. Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of the Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO thanked the PTDC for their efforts to promote the destination despite the many odds faced due to perceptions that overlooked the unique and attractive products of the country. He praised PTDC for their marketing efforts to find appropriate taglines reflecting the diverse natural and cultural heritages and warm hospitality of the people. These measures, he said, should help to attract more international tourists than the current tourist arrivals.
Mr. George Drakopoulos, UNWTO Expert, presented the recommendations for promoting tourism in Pakistan and admitted that although the destination possessed the necessary attractions, there was a need to improve its image through corrective measures. Apart from marketing and image building strategies the recommendations called for strengthening of institutional relations and for greater visibility through participation of the destination in international events and tourism exhibitions.
Mr. Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor concluded that the target of forming a National Tourism Authority in Pakistan was a priority to enable the institution to make the necessary decisions for the promotion of tourism in the country.
Within the framework of ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the UNWTO and Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand launched the latest in the UNWTO Series of "Tourism Stories" books, especially created to honour the lifetime of exemplary leadership of His Majesty, the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in building Thailand as a proud, united society and economy through Tourism.
The UNWTO Tourism Stories series, initiated in 2013, has established itself as a powerful platform for readers to hear the voices of people across the globe who every day wake to work within the tourism sector, enteringtheir worlds to gain a deeply personal insight into how their lives have been shaped because of Tourism, and, importantly, what their lives would be like were they not working in the industry.
Resonating deeply across the global Tourism community, the book series has evolved to become a greatly valued mirror for many, enabling tourism leaders across the globe to pause, reflect and reconnect with why what they do every day matters for the millions of people across the world who rely on the Tourism industry for their livelihoods.
In 2017, as the people of the Kingdom of Thailand grieved the passing of their beloved leader of Thailand for over seven decades, the UNWTO was requested by Ministry of Tourism & Sport of Thailand to create a Thailand-focused TOURISM STORIES book dedicated to the memory of His Majesty, the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. From its earliest days, through an array of projects and programmes inspired by His Majesty, the nation’s Tourism sector has advanced to the point of today being one of the most visited and respected on the global stage. Central to the sector’s success: the insistence of His Majesty to keep Thai people, culture, spirit and society at the heart of all development efforts. Uniquely, the book was to act as a reflection of, and salute to, the development of Tourism in Thailand under the visionary leadership of His Majesty.
Importantly, the timing of the book aligned perfectly with the United Nation having designated 2017 as the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development – a year dedicated to raising awareness of the Tourism as a critical vehicle for global advancement, upliftment and unity, embedding the power of tourism as a global force for good at economic, social, cultural and environmental levels.
As stated by the Minister of Tourism & Sports of Thailand, HE Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat at the launch of the book in front of the ATF community on January 26th, 2018:
"Timing is, as they say, everything. Release of this special book coincides with our Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018 campaign which focuses on the local communities of Thailand. Importantly, this book will highlight how tourism has changed or even enhanced their lives, and how their practices are on the path of sustainability through the Efficiency Economy Philosophy that was initiated by the revered King of Kings, His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who will forever remain the hearts of all Thais. We are a country of approximately 65 million people and we are welcoming more than 35 million tourists per year and tourism constitutes 20% of Thailand’s GDP, while also creating job opportunities for people and this signifies that tourism has extended beyond numbers and figures but also possesses an substantial role in our societies. I invite you to enjoy the UNWTO Tourism Stories: The Thailand Edition and it could become your inspiration to visit us and find out why we are known as Amazing Thailand.”
Copies of the UNWTO Tourism Stories - Thailand Edition, will be made available through the UNWTO website. Previous editions can be found at: /tourism-stories
A training workshop on sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation took place in Bangladesh in January 2018. The activity involved 30 participants from different ministries such as the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Bangladesh Tourism Board.
In addition, the Bangladesh Coast Guard, the Blue Economy cell, the Bangladesh Tourist Police and the Bangladesh Television joined the initiative.
Read the PR published: /asia/press-release/2018-01-29/unwtochimelong-initiative-trains-public-officials-bangladesh-wildlife-and-s
30 officials from different ministries of Bangladesh have participated in a workshop to enhance their knowledge and share good practices on Sustainable Tourism and Wildlife. The activity takes place under the framework of the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative on wildlife and sustainable tourism, which is being implemented between 2017 and 2018.
PR No.: PR 18010
Participants from different ministerial authorities in Bangladesh, such as the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the Bangladesh Tourism Board, the Bangladesh Coast Guard, the Blue Economy cell, the Bangladesh Tourist Police and the Bangladesh Television joined the workshop on wildlife and sustainable tourism. The activity took place in Dhaka and was inaugurated by the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh Shajahan Kamal who mentioned the need to enhance technical cooperation initiatives with UNWTO.
The session, organized by the Bangladesh Tourism Board and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism aimed at raising awareness on policies related to the development of Sustainable Tourism as a driver of wildlife conservation and protection measures. A special focus was made on the Royal Bengal Tiger Bangladesh, present around one of the World Heritage sites -The Sundarbans-.
The relevance of these themes within the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Tourism Goals (SDGs) was underlined as well as the need to launch policies to address these topics in the country. The workshop included the revision of good practices related to wildlife-based tourism in Asia and the Pacific.
The participants followed practical exercises organized in working groups and discussed the different issues related to wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism. Each group had the opportunity to conduct a final presentation with a list of recommendations to foster wildlife-related tourism in the country.
Afzal Hossain, Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of Dhaka shared with the participants a Key-note paper entitled 'Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through Sustainable Tourism with particular Reference to Wildlife Conservation: Ways and Means.' The debates were moderated by the former Country Representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Ishtiak Ahmad.
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Marcelo Risi
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / mrisi@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
The UNWTO Asia-Pacific Newsletter 45th Issue, sponsored by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) of the Republic of Korea, was produced in collaboration with the Kyung Hee University in Republic of Korea which is one of the UNWTO Affiliate Members.
In the 45th Edition, current tourism related activities of UNWTO, news from our Member States, destination report of Pyeong Chang and other issues have been featured. The AP Newsletter is available at our website.
Additional information:
The UNWTO workshop on the Chinese Outbound Tourism Market was held during the FITUR Tourism fair on the 17th January 2018 in the North Convention Centre, IFEMA, Madrid, Spain.
The workshop was a sequel to the UNWTO publication “Penetrating the Chinese Outbound Tourism Market: Successful Practices and Solutions” that was undertaken by the Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific (RPAP) with the contribution of Ivy Alliance Consulting. The publication was released during the 22nd General Assembly of UNWTO in Chengdu, China, in September, 2017.
The programme of activities included opening remarks by Mr. Zhu Shanzhong, Executive Director, UNWTO, with a comprehensive presentation of the main features of the study by Ms. Harmony Lamm, Research Coordinator, and RPAP.
The ensuing discussions were ably moderated by Mr. Xu Jing, Director, RPAP and included the following distinguished panelists: Mr. Zhang Zhiyun, Director China National Tourism Office in Madrid; Mr. Hiroshi Sawabe, Executive Director, Office of International Tourism, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA);Mr. Javier Fernandez Andrino, International Marketing & Luxury Development Director, El Corte Inglès; Mr.Victor Cortizo, Vice President, Catedra, China; Mr. Jason Wang, Chief Operating Officer, Global Tourism Economy Forum, Ms. Daisy Wang, Chief Operating Officer, D&J Global Communications; Mr. Carlos Sentis, Director General Henkuai, and Mr. Choon Loong Lee, President, Discovery MICE.
Mr. Zhu Shanzhong, Executive Director, UNWTO, stressed, “China is the largest generator of trips in Asia and the world with 135 million outbound travelers in 2016 and the Chinese Outbound Tourism Market has had a great impact on tourism around the world. Destinations and regions have put special emphasis on this vital source market, for example in 2018 it is the EU-China Tourism Year.” Mr. Zhang Zhiyun, Director CNTO Madrid went on to add that the Chinese Outbound Market was segmented and diversified comprising FITs as opposed to the initial package tours. Another feature was that 60% of the travelers were females.
Mr. Sawabe, Executive Director JATA outlined the rapid growth of the Chinese traffic to Japan from 1.3 million in 2013 to 10 million in 2016, said that visa relaxation and deregulation of airline policies were two of the underlying factors for this impressive growth. Shopping was another feature of avid Chinese tourists: “One of every two premium products manufactured in the near future will be bought by a Chinese traveler” stated Mr. Javier Fernandez Andrino, International Marketing & Luxury Development Director of El Corte Inglès. The social media, particularly those related to China such as WeChat and Weibo, was identified by Ms. Daisy Wang, Chief Operating Officer, D&J Global Communications, as a very strong platform for promotion of the Chinese Outbound market.
The panel discussions led to an animated Q & A session showing the deep interest in the study and the workshop by many attendees. It is noteworthy that amongst the wide array of participants were representatives from African countries such as Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and Rwanda who were particularly attentive to the budding Chinese Outbound Tourism Market especially in niche sectors such as safaris and wild life where the penetration holds great potential.
The well-attended and highly successful workshop, a premiere for the Regional Programme for Asia and Pacific of UNWTO at FITUR, attracted over 120 participants from the public and private sectors, academia, and research institutions.
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