PR No.: PR13074

Prime Minister Thammavong said, “Tourism development is being taken very seriously by the Laos government as an important agenda item for socio-economic development of the country. We are counting on UNWTO´s support in the areas of sustainable tourism, human resources development and quality tourism services.”

Laos has seen a significant rise in tourism over the past decade, from 0.2 million tourists in 2000 to 3.3 million tourists in 2012. Building on the promotional brand, “Simply Beautiful”, Laos has adopted an awareness raising programme for preserving cultural and natural resources and is committed to establish a Tourism Center of Excellence for human resource capacity building.

“The tourism achievements shown by Laos in the past decade are very impressive. The country has great potential and opportunity for continued balanced growth because of its cultural treasures and natural beauty”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Tourists can travel around the country and enjoy an enriching interaction with the local population, its traditions and culture, especially in Luang Prabang, which is the most prominent tourism destination in Laos.”

“Travel & Tourism is a major component of the economy of Laos. In total, almost 17% of the country’s economy is related to the Travel & Tourism industry, which also supports one in six of the country’s jobs,” said David Scowsill, President and CEO of WTTC.  “Laos is also experiencing a rapid expansion of its Travel & Tourism industry – growth of 8% during 2013 is forecast to be among the highest of any country in the world.”

 

Note to Editors:

UNWTO and WTTC are jointly presenting heads of state and government around the world an Open Letter which calls on them to acknowledge tourism’s key role in delivering more sustained and balanced growth and to prioritize the sector higher in national policies in order to maximize its potential. The Open Letter outlines Travel & Tourism’s value as one of the world’s largest generators of jobs, a powerful driver of socio-economic growth and development and a key player in the transformation to the Green Economy. To date, 56 heads of state and government have received the Open Letter from UNWTO and WTTC.

 

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: +34 91-567-8100 / Fax: +34 91-567-8218

PR No.: PR13070

The process leading to the creation of the ST-EP International Organization was presented during the World Travel Market and discussed with the over 35 countries which have so far expressed their interest in joining as founding members and hosting regional offices for the new Organization.

The creation of the new Organization follows the decision of the 20^th UNWTO General Assembly, to transform the existing ST-EP Foundation into a full-fledged international organization, to be headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea.  

The UNWTO Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty Initiative (ST-EP) was born in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.to promote poverty alleviation through the provision of assistance to sustainable development projects. The initiative focuses on activities that specifically alleviate poverty, deliver development and create jobs for people living on less than a dollar a day. The initiative has been strongly supported by several countries and particularly by the Republic of Korea, host to the ST-EP Foundation.

“The ST-EP projects make a real difference to people’s lives by acting at the local level and providing new opportunities in the poorest communities through tourism”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “The creation of this new international organization, with the important support of the Korean Government will allows us to multiply our actions and change the lives of more people”.

 “The Republic of Korea has been a strong supporter of the ST-EP Initiative through the its Foundation and is fully committed to make this new organization a major contributor to alleviate poverty through tourism”, said the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, Yoo Jinryong.

“Over the last decade, the ST-EP Foundation has implemented over 100 projects worldwide. The new Organization reinforces our capacity to expand our action” said Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Chairperson of the ST-EP Foundation.

 

Useful links:

ST-EP

 

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: +34 91-567-8100 / Fax: +34 91-567-8218

UNWTO is deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake that took place on 15 October 2013 in Bohol and Cebu, the Philippines. On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Government of the Philippines.

“Our thoughts at this difficult moment are with the families and friends of the victims and the Government and people of Philippines” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “The livelihoods of many people in these destinations depend on the tourism sector and UNWTO stands ready to support the Philippines in ensuring the tourism in these areas continues to thrive." he added.          

UNWTO has transmitted to the Government of the Philippines its committed to support the Department of Tourism and the tourism industry in any tourism-related recovery programme to be designed for the affected areas. UNWTO is confident that with the dynamic leadership of the Government of the Philippines, Cebu and Bohol, both  important tourism destinations, will soon recover from this tragic occurrence and continue to play their significant role in tourism growth to the country.

 

Related Links:

DOT expresses sympathies for the earthquake victims, moves for the swift recovery of Cebu and Bohol tourism infrastructures

 

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100

Fax: (+34) 91 567 8218

Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr., together with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the tourism industry, expressed their deepest sympathies to the families and victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol and Cebu last Tuesday morning, which also resulted significant damages to cultural and heritage structures.  The DOT has commenced moves for the swift recovery and rehabilitation of key tourism infrastructures in Cebu and Bohol.  Secretary Jimenez said, “We ought to find ways to speed up recovery of the affected areas, especially that tourism is a major industry fueling their economies.”

The DOT Region 7 office reports that most hotels, resorts and other business establishments have resumed their operations and business as usual is being observed in Cebu and Panglao Island in Bohol.  The rest are still assessing the structural integrity of their establishments.  Though there are some tours still being carried out, areas severely affected by yesterday’s quake are off-limits to the public. These include the Basilica del Sto. Nino and Fort San. Pedro in Cebu, the Baclayon Church and Dauis Church in Bohol, and its other heritage churches.   The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA) are conducting the necessary assessment of these heritage structures.

Parallel to the Secretary’s visit to the provinces tomorrow, the DOT’s Crisis Management Committee headed by Undersecretary Daniel G. Corpuz, will hold consultation meetings with heads of industry to come up with a contingency plan to regain market confidence and a plan to offer alternative tour programs within Cebu/Bohol.

“While it will take time to restore the heritage sites, reconstruction of damaged facilities in other attractions and transportation infrastructure should proceed with haste.  Our Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) will help rehabilitate the view deck of the Chocolate Hills and other amenities.  On the other hand, the DOT-DPWH convergence program will need to be skewed to include reparation of roads and bridges,” Jimenez added. 

“On the business side, I call on our industry leaders and suppliers to swiftly embark on aggressive plans to sustain the destinations’ marketability and to achieve normalcy.  Cooperation and commitment is key and I am confident that Cebu and Bohol leaders have plenty of these,” the tourism chief stated.

"It's back to work for the tourism industry because now more than ever, Bohol and Cebu need their tourism income to move forward from this unfortunate tragedy," Secretary Jimenez concluded.

PR No.: PR13063

The report The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies indicates that although there has been successful collaboration and advances across the APEC region to facilitate visas, including progressive approaches to implement new visa policies, 21% of expected international tourists arriving into APEC over the period 2014-2016 would still be required to obtain a traditional visa prior to travel under current visa policies.

Facilitating visas for these tourists could create as much as 2.6 million additional jobs in the APEC economies by 2016 and an additional US$ 89 billion in international tourism receipts generated by 57 million more tourists visiting APEC destinations.

Hosting the meeting, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Mari Elka Pangestu, highlighted that the importance of tourism as a vehicle of job creation, economic growth and development in Asia Pacific has been acknowledged by APEC leaders through the launch, in 2011, of the APEC Travel Facilitation Initiative.

“The challenge now is to establish cooperation between officials working in tourism, finance, customs, immigration, security, transportation and airport authorities which are in different working groups. In 2013, through this High Level Policy Dialogue on Travel Facilitation held in Bali, for the fist time, there is an attempt of coordination across fora and we hope to end up with some action plans on visa and travel facilitation,” explained Minister Pangestu

Addressing the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, called on APEC leaders to look at the opportunities arising from visa facilitation. “This report clearly shows that placing visa facilitation as a national priority can translate into significant socio-economic benefits in terms of income and jobs generated by the growth of tourism demand. APEC has been a leading organization in terms of regional integration and we believe that visa facilitation can contribute significantly to advance APEC’s objectives and the balanced growth of its economies”.

David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “Encouraging freedom to travel is a key strategic priority for WTTC. It is a simple step for Governments which creates jobs, economic growth and incalculable social benefits. This report lays bare for the first time the precise opportunity in APEC economies and demands to be taken seriously by the region’s Governments.”

In spite of the great strides made in recent decades to facilitate tourist travel all over the world, there are still important areas of opportunity, namely considering the possibilities to maximize the use of information and communication technologies in improving visa procedures. Further opportunities include improving the delivery of information, facilitating current processes to obtain visas, differentiated treatment to facilitate tourist travel, instituting eVisa programmes and establishing regional agreements for visa facilitation.  UNWTO and WTTC have been working closely together in recent years to promote the value of visa facilitation as a means to stimulate economic growth and development, namely through joint regional studies and cooperation with the T20, the World Economic Forum (WEF), APEC and the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development  (OECD).  

 

Useful links:

Facilitation of Tourist Travel

Report: The Impact of Visa Facilitation in APEC Economies

 

Contacts:
 

UNWTO

Principal Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO.org

 

WTTC

Communications Director: Toby Nicol

Tel: (+44 ) 20 7481  6483

www.wttc.org

PR No.: PR13058

UNWTO and JATA will collaborate, among other areas, in the organization of a UNWTO session at the annual JATA Tourism Forum and Travel Showcase, the exchange of best practices, particularly the experience of Japan’s tourism recovery following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and data sharing.   

UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, who signed the MOU with JATA’s Chairman, Mr. Jungo Kikuma, stated that “the signing of this landmark document and partnering with important and influential players in the tourism sector such as JATA is a significant step forward for UNWTO in its global efforts to promote tourism as a driving force for social and economic development.”

“We are indeed very pleased to firm up this collaborative initiative with JATA. This partnership is the first forged in Asia and the Pacific by UNWTO, a region which is growing to be the centre of gravity in tourism” said Mr. Rifai. “This is an ideal platform from which UNWTO, joining hands with JATA, would like to further our actions to advance tourism growth in the region.”

Japan has declared the aim of building the nation on tourism, considering the sector as an important pillar to revitalize its economy. The Government set as target to attract 20 million foreign visitors and have 20 million Japanese traveling abroad by 2020. The agreement between UNWTO and JATA paves the way for UNWTO to combine its efforts with JATA in support of the policy initiatives of the Government of Japan.

During his visit to Japan, Mr Rifai met Mr.Yosuke Tsuruho, Senior Vice-Minister, and Mr. Manabu Sakai, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Mr. Masaji Matsuyama, Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Kubo Shigeto, Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA). During the meetings the further engagement of Japan in UNWTO Programme of Work through human resource exchange programmes and the sharing of successful tourism experiences were discussed.

UNWTO is also looking forward to working closely with Japan in the areas of responsible tourism and tourism ethics following the designation of Mr. Yoshinori Hompo, former Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency, as member of the UNWTO World Committee on Tourism Ethics.

Japan is one of the leading tourism destinations in Asia and the Pacific. In 2012, Japan received 8.4 million international visitors (34% more than in 2011) generating US$ 14.6 billion in revenues.

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior 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

 

PR No.: PR13047

Topics discussed ranged from heritage management, investment, travel facilitation and product development, with aims to establish the Silk Road as one of the world´s most outstanding travel routes.

As the largest Silk Road event to ever take place in China, the Meeting marked the opening of the 3^rd Dunhuang Silk Road International Tourism Festival, which showcased cultural festivals and events. The province of Gansu, in China´s northwest region, has prioritized tourism as a key pillar for economic growth. For centuries, the province was the vital corridor between China and Central Asia and comprised about 1,600 kilometers of the Silk Road.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, acknowledged the strength and commitment of the People’s Government of Gansu Province for hosting the Meeting in the wake of the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Dingxi in Gansu´s southeast region ten days before. “In welcoming the international tourism community to Dunhuang at such a difficult time, Gansu has impressed the delegates not only with its outstanding tourism offer but with its courage and dedication to supporting the sector,” he said.

The Meeting showcased China´s diverse range of Silk Road destinations while highlighting the growing importance of the Chinese outbound market, expected to reach 94 million by the end of 2013. Tourism is playing an increasing role in China´s ongoing economic development, with double-digit growth of domestic tourism and the China Tourism Law set to be enacted on 1 October. “Our continued policy aimed at encouraging Chinese nationals to travel is designed to contribute to the healthy development of the sector and softening the social and economic concerns in other parts of the world,” said Shao Qiwei, Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration.

During the Meeting, the Chinese Chamber of Tourism, along with eight of the country´s most influential tourism corporations, signed the private sector’s commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics, by which companies pledge to implement the ethical provisions of the Code in their policies, plans and business operations.

With a record level of presence from Asia and the Pacific destinations, the Meeting was attended by over 250 delegates from 25 countries across the Silk Road. A special official welcome was given to new Silk Road Member States, Indonesia and San Marino. Also present were representatives from major institutions and UN agencies including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Council of Europe.

 

Useful links:

6^th International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism

Final Presentations 6^th International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism

 

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: +34 91-567-8100

Fax: +34 91-567-8218

China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) recently unveiled its new tourism logo and theme, "Beautiful China."

China, which in April this year adopted its first national tourism law and which has become the world´s number one tourism source market internationally, has designed its new tourism logo in the form of a traditional seal with "Beautiful China" in both Chinese and English writing. According to CNTA, the logo

¨ […] combines the two traditional Chinese arts of seal engraving and calligraphy, and uses the Chinese character for “travel” in an oracle style to highlight the character of tourism. The backdrop in blue symbolizes the vigor and vitality of the process of building a beautiful China. The Chinese inscriptions of "Beautiful China" are in red, which is the color of China's national flag and a symbol of China’s culture. The Chinese characters for the word "China" are written in Chairman Mao's calligraphy style, and the Chinese script of "Beautiful" takes a rather simple manner. The English script, black in color, uses a smooth handwriting style in order to show international vision and promising future of an open and dynamic tourism in China.¨

"Beautiful China" was designed to reflect China's cultural traditions and abundant natural and cultural resources for tourism and present an accurate, vivid, and comprehensive interpretation of the essence of China's tourism industry.

The new logo and theme will be promoted by CNTA at this year´s domestic and international tourism exhibitions and  events including China International Travel Mart, China Domestic Travel Fair, and international travel shows and activities organized within the framework of the opening and closing ceremonies of the "Year of China Tourism" in Russia.

CNTA is also working on the production of a promotional film and other printed and electronic promotional materials to spread the message of ¨Beautiful China.

---

Interesting Links:

• UNWTO Press Release: China - the new number one tourism source market in the world /archive/global/press-release/2013-04-04/china-new-number-one-tourism-source-market-world
• UNWTO Press Release: China´s new national tourism strategy set to increase outbound tourism /archive/global/press-release/2013-03-21/china-s-new-national-tourism-strategy-set-increase-outbound-tourism