Benchmarking Methodology for the Development of Sustainable Cruise Tourism in South-East Asia follows the 2016 publication on Sustainable Cruise Tourism Development Strategies – Tackling the Challenges in Itinerary Design in South-East Asia. Both reports were prepared in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Center (APTEC).
This second publication aims to support data-driven collaboration by encouraging information exchanges related to sustainable cruise tourism in South-East Asia. The report presents a methodology for policymakers and stakeholders to evaluate the impacts of cruise tourism at the destination level. With this methodology, destinations can benchmark their progress compared to that of their neighbours and, ultimately, enhance their regional collaboration.
ISBN: 978-92-844-1840-4
The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), at which all 161 UNWTO Member States and Territories congregate every two years to discuss, debate, and exchange ideas on vital topics in the tourism sector. Also in attendance are UNWTO +500 Affiliate Members, representing public and private organizations, destinations, NGOs, and educational institutions. The General Assembly is the most important global meeting of senior government tourism officials and high-level representatives of the private tourism sector.
This year, the 22nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly will take place in Chengdu, China in September, and it will celebrate the United Nations’ designation of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector, ultimately contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
The 22nd General Assembly is expected to attract over 1,000 delegates, including high-level officials and honorable guests from UNWTO Member States, international organizations, the private sector, media, and academia. The highest level session during the General Assembly is the Ministerial Meeting, in cooperation with UNWTO´s media partner CNN, where ministers from around the world will discuss the landmark achievements of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
This year, for the first time, partnership opportunities are available at the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly.
For more information on different categories and benefits of partner, please download the Partnership Brochure here.
Better Than Gold: Linking Biodiversity Conservation & Sustainable Tourism in Papua New Guinea
UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai and Xu Jing his Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific met with Roy Trivedy, UNDP Resident Representative for Papua New Guinea on the occasion of the UNWTO National Forum on Sustainable Tourism for Development and the 11th Asia Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy. The events were graciously hosted by the Government of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby from 20 – 23 March 2017.
The main objective of this meeting was to explore possible ways of supporting tourism development in Papua New Guinea, particularly in the area of tourism projects. The discussions thus focused on ¨Community-based Forest and Coastal Conservation and Resource Management” (2012-2018) – an on-going project being implemented by the UNDP Office in Papua New Guinea.
The storyline on the project can be found here.
UNWTO is committed to supporting similar initiatives in coordination with both UNDP office in Papua New Guinea and the Tourism Promotion Authority of the country to promote tourism’s powerful role in inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in Papua New Guinea.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Christine Brew
Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific
World Tourism Organization
Calle Poeta Joan Maragall 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100
Email: rdam@unwto.org
In March 2017, a training workshop held in Guangdong, addressed the role that the tourism sector can play in poverty reduction strategies.
Representatives of Provincial Tourist Authorities and Provincial Tourism Organizations, in particular from the Guangdong Province, stakeholders from the private sector and Chinese NGOs attended the event.
Read the Press Release at: http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2017-03-27/role-tourism-reducing-poverty-discussed-unwto-workshop-china
See the photogallery of the event at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unwto/sets/72157678498421984
The 11th UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 20-23 March 2017. The Programme marked the first UNWTO event in the Pacific Islands subregion, and its theme “Sustainable Tourism for Development” was aligned with the celebrations of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This programme has been sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea since 2006, and provides a unique platform for senior-level officials to come together and discuss pertinent issues related to policy, strategy and development of tourism in the Asia Pacific Region.
During the first day, the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority and UNWTO Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific co-organized a UNWTO National Forum on Sustainable Tourism for Development where over 160 local tourism stakeholders from private and public sectors gathered to discuss tourism development throughout Papua New Guinea as a tool to create new employment opportunities, poverty reduction, and as a contributor to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, congratulated the host government of PNG for their commitment and management of this event and noted the tremendous potential of Papua New Guinea in the international tourism market “You are a blank canvas to the world with opportunity to fill as colorful, beautiful and wonderful image of PNG” he noted and underlined “¨PNG must do everything it can to promote itself in a positive light for next year´s APEC Summit.”
Papua New Guinea Minister of Finance, Hon. James Marape, MP also shared his remarks during the opening ceremony and welcomed local participants, delegates and organizers, “We will definitely shift our focus away from mining and oil, and bring more attention into this (tourism) sector, which in our view can hold the economy. Come back to us five years from now and you will see what this country will be.” He continued by conveying Papua New Guinea’s commitment to the development of a sustainable tourism sector where all residents can benefit equally.
The one-day Forum culminated in the bilateral minutes of tourism cooperation between PNG Minister of Tourism, Hon. Tobias Kulang and UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, in which both sides acknowledged the importance of tourism development for Papua New Guinea as a sustainable, alternative economic sector for its people, and committed to collaboratively work on a national tourism strategy for the next 12 years.
Over the following two days, 21 delegates representing 16 countries from the Asia Pacific Region participated in the Executive Training Programme to discuss sustainable tourism development. Each delegate had the opportunity to share best practices and case studies from their respective countries on sustainable tourism. Furthermore, through a series of lectures, group discussion and debates facilitated by UNWTO Anchor Consultant, Dr. Ong Hong Peng and Adjunct Professor, Steve Noakes. The delegates examined resource efficiency, safeguarding natural and cultural heritage. Special attention was given to the impacts of climate change and the ways in which tourism in Asia and the Pacific can contribute to the SDGs through inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development employment and poverty reduction.
Please refer to the event’s website for additional information, technical note, and technical presentations by experts and UNWTO delegates.
Contacts
Ms. Jeongmi LEE
UNWTO Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 94 / jlee@unwto.org
PR No.: PR 17037
The power of tourism to induce poverty reduction and development constituted the main focus of the UNWTO Workshop held in Guangdong, China. The workshop was conducted under the framework of the agreement signed between UNWTO and the Chimelong Group in 2016 designed to support sustainable tourism and wildlife protection through tourism.
Raising awareness on the relevance of the tourism sector in the reduction of poverty and promoting knowledge sharing on best practices constitute the major objectives of the Workshop for Poverty Reduction and Tourism Development held in Guangdong. The event takes place in a highly relevant momentum as 2017 is celebrated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, a global campaign lead by UNWTO.
"Guangdong, one of the top economic hubs in China, is one of the best examples of what is happening in China in terms of the links between development and tourism and therefore it is a perfect location to conduct this event" said UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai.
“We sincerely appreciate the agreement with UNWTO that includes a number of initiatives in the field of sustainable tourism and wildlife conservation, which are very much in line with our philosophy ‘Wherever Chimelong goes, the happiness follows’ as our CEO, Su Zhigang highlights,” said Chen Wancheng, President of Guangdong Chimelong Group.
Accounting for 6.3% of GDP, tourism is one of the most important sectors in Guangdong. The province receives more than 300 million domestic tourists annually and around 35 million international tourists.
The workshop included case studies from the UNWTO ST-EP Project Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme, the UNWTO Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories and from activities conducted by Chimelong in the Guangdong Province. Representatives of Provincial Tourist Authorities and Provincial Tourism Organizations, in particular from the Guangdong Province, stakeholders from the private sector and Chinese NGOs attended the event.
Additional information:
Portal of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
PR No.: PR 17031
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, applauded Japan’s commitment to tourism development as one of the significant pillars of the socio-economic agenda during a recent official visit to Japan. Meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Mr Rifai welcomed Japan’s Action Program for Tourism focused on infrastructure development, visa facilitation and technology.
“Japan will continue to promote tourism and stress its great potential in people to people understanding as well as its important role in rural area development”, said Prime Minister Abe.
On the occasion, Mr. Rifai presented Prime Minister Abe with the Open Letter on Travel and Tourism, an initiative jointly led by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to advocate tourism and its role to the development of nations.
Mr Rifai congratulated Prime Minister Abe on the impressive development of the tourism sector since he took office in 2013 and highlighted the potential that tourism has to bring development to all the areas of Japan. In 2016, Japan received 24 million international tourists, an increase of 22% as compared to 2015. Japan set as a target to increase the number of foreign tourists to 40 million by 2020, and to 60 million by 2030.
“Japan is showing a clear leadership in tourism development by placing tourism high in its socio-economic agenda. We thank Prime Minister Abe for its vision and leadership and look forward to continuing working with Japan to achieve its set target of 40 million international tourists by 2020”, said Mr Rifai.
David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “Japan is a country which has long recognized the power of our sector to drive economic growth. Travel & Tourism contributes 7.4% to the country’s GDP and generates over 4.5 million jobs, or 6.9% of total employment in the country. Japan ranks 4th in the world for Travel & Tourism GDP. We encourage the government to continue its great efforts to stimulate Japan’s Travel & Tourism sector, focusing on creating products to attract new markets and continuing to invest in infrastructure to absorb future demand in the country.”
Mr Rifai also met the Governor of Yamagata Prefecture, Mieko Yoshimura, to announce the forthcoming UNWTO Conference on Tourism and Snow-Related Activities, to be held in February 2018. The event is aimed at supporting the recovery of the Tohoku region (Northern) from the 2011 earthquake. It is also part of the efforts of UNWTO to support Japan in diversifying its tourism offer to less known tourism areas.
The visit was also an occasion to inaugurate the Tokyo Liaison Office of the UNWTO Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific（RSOAP）based in Nara in the presence of the 17 UNWTO Affiliate Members of Japan and 200 key tourism leaders and stakeholders. The office will provide supplementary support to the activities being carried out from the Nara-based office.
Besides his encounter with Prime Minister Abe, Mr Rifai held meetings with Mr. Yoshihiro Nikai, Secretary-General of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Mr. Keiichi Ishii, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Mr. Nobuo Kishi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mr. Akihiko Tamura, Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency (MLIT), all of whom expressed their support to the tourism sector and the work of UNWTO.
On the occasion, UNWTO Secretary-General also addressed the research commission for the establishment of a tourism oriented nation of the LDP and met with the representatives of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), the Japan Travel and Tourism Association (JTTA), JTB Corp., TOYO University, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Gurunavi Inc. and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA and UNWTO recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through tourism with a particular focus in assisting developing countries to reduce poverty through tourism as well as to improve public policies and business practices.
Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org
