On 22 May, the Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training (hereafter the Centre) organised an eight-day training programme titled “Strategic Tourism Planning and Management for a Sustainable Future”. It is the third time of training held by the Centre, followed by two professional training programmes for representatives from Asia-Pacific countries and regions last year. Twenty one representatives from Myanmar, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mainland China and Macao SAR participated in the programme. In addition, ten representatives from Portuguese speaking countries namely Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Timor Leste organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office also joined some sessions of the programme.  

On 26 May, the faculty and participants of the training programme had a meeting with Dr. Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao SAR Government. During the meeting, the Secretary recounted that Macao SAR Government and United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Macao in October 2015. The objective was to enhance cooperation between the two parties in improving the quality of human capital and increasing the competitiveness of tourism destinations in order to achieve sustainable tourism development. The Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training, which was officially set up by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) in 2016, has organised several training and education programmes for tourism officials and industry representatives in collaboration with UNWTO. He also added that the Macao SAR Government supports and encourages IFT’s Global Centre for Tourism Education to organise more training programmes for different countries, especially those along “One Belt, One Road”.  Apart from education and training, he hoped that Macao could further collaborate with “One Belt, One Road” countries and regions in other areas including tourism, culture, healthcare, sports and social services.

The training programme includes lectures, case studies, experience sharing, presentations and visits. Besides the lectures delivered by scholars and experts, IFT also invited the Secretary-General of the Talents Development Committee Mr. Sou Chio Fai, and representatives of Human Resources Department of Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Sands Macao to share their experiences in regard to nurturing talent and human resources management. The participants also visited the world heritage sites of the Historic Centre of Macao, museums and hotels in order to understand the planning and management of tourism facilities in Macao.  

Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 101 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 8 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. In 2017, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) becomes the first higher education institution to receive a successful International Quality Review(IQR) from the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). IFT has been ranked by the “QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017” as the 2^nd best higher education institution in Asia in the field of hospitality and leisure management and the 18^th best higher education institution in this field in the world. In addition, IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

Contacts:

Institute for Tourism Studies

Tel: (853) 28561252

Fax: (853) 28519058

www.ift.edu.mo

PR No.: PR 17066

“With growth comes power, and with power, comes responsibility. With 1.8 billion international tourists foreseen to travel the world by 2030, we could end up with 1.8 billion opportunities or 1.8 billion disasters. These 1.8 billion travellers can and should translate into opportunities for inclusive economic growth, for more and better jobs, opportunities to protect our natural and cultural heritage, to better know and respect each other, to bond people, to distribute wealth and share prosperity,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, opening the event.

“Tourism can help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Your presence in Bangladesh will help us to support our tourism sector achieve its potential,” said the Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh, Rashed Khan Menon.

The meeting recalled the advances of the region in terms of visa facilitation, namely in Indonesia and India, in line with UNWTO’s priority to promote safe, secure and seamless travel. It also reviewed the work of the UNWTO technical committees on tourism competitiveness, sustainability, statistics and Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), and the activities being carried out at national level to celebrate the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

Further items on the agenda included the transformation of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics into an international convention and the creation of national committees on tourism ethics. Fiji was selected to host the 2018 Regional Commissions meeting and India as the proposed host country of the official celebrations of World Tourism Day in 2019.

Marking the International Year, UNWTO announced its support to Bangladesh in implementing capacity building programmes on wildlife and tourism within the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative. Wildlife is one of the most important tourism assets of Bangladesh.

The joint meeting was preceded by a regional forum on crisis communication in tourism, with a step-by-step review of how to prepare a crisis communication plan and exchange of experiences in managing communication in situations of crisis, and of strategies for recovery.

Additional information:

UNWTO Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific

Photos of the Event

2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for development webpage

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 17058

Supported by the United Nations Statistics Division, the UNWTO initiative ‘Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism’ (MST) underlines the need to measure the full effects of the tourism sector. The UNWTO International Conference to be held in Manila will serve as a platform to discuss the first draft of the MST framework and its future implementation.

The Philippines has become a reference in the region with regard to tourism measurement and a role model in the development of effective inter-institutional collaboration to develop tourism statistics. The commitment of the country, shown in the development of the Tourism Satellite Account framework, explains the decision to host the discussion on the MST initiative.

A Ministerial Roundtable will inaugurate the Conference in order to align efforts to advocate among governments the relevance of integrated and reliable data to manage and promote a more sustainable tourism sector. Afterwards, a Panel of Statistical Institutes will provide the opportunity to share experiences and practices implemented at global, regional and national level.

Other technical sessions will focus on understanding data demands, the link between the economic, the environmental and the social dimensions of sustainable tourism, including job creation, sub-national measurement, Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs) indicators, and data sources including big data.

Besides policy leaders, statistical experts and private sector, representatives from international organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and Eurostat will also contribute to the discussions.

Additional information:

Conference website and registration

International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

About the Tourism Satellite Accounts

About ‘Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism’ (MST)

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 17049

The first UNWTO event conducted in the Pacific Islands analyzed the potential of sustainable tourism practices in the development of the region. The training programme was aligned with the celebrations of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. 

The UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea since 2006, 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.

The first session of the programme, organized in cooperation with the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, discussed tourism development in Papua New Guinea as a tool to create new employment opportunities, reduce poverty and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As underlined by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, “you are a blank canvas to the world with the opportunity to fill as colorful, beautiful and wonderful image of Papua; your country should continue working to promote itself in a positive light for next year´s APEC Summit.”

Papua New Guinea Minister of Finance, James Marape, said “we will definitely shift our focus away from mining and oil, and bring more attention into the tourism sector, which in our view can bring an immense potential to our country. In five years we will see what this country will be.” In the bilateral meetings after the event, the Minister of Tourism, Tobias Kulang, expressed the commitment of the country to collaboratively work on a national tourism strategy for the next 12 years.

All the 21 foreign delegates representing 16 countries from the Asia Pacific Region 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 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.

Useful links:

11th UNWTO Asia Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy

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

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 22^nd 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 22^nd 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 22^nd UNWTO General Assembly. 

For more information on different categories and benefits of partner, please download the Partnership Brochure here.

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