Ετικέτα: UNWTO

The UNWTO Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific has expressed its full support and solidarity with the people of Japan in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Holding their annual meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka (24-25 March 2011), UNWTO members from Asia and the Pacific also discussed individual country concerns regarding their tourism sectors in light of persistent global economic challenges.

UNWTO and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand have officially concluded a project to help hotels along the Thai Andaman coast significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs through energy-saving technologies.

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The importance of removing travel barriers to facilitate tourist flows was top of the agenda during the recent visit of UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, to Russia.

The first UNWTO Silk Road Ministers’ Summit, held at ITB 2011, has concluded with commitment to enhanced cooperation to achieve the objectives of the Silk Road Action Plan, a collaborative framework for advancing tourism development across 25 countries (Berlin, Germany, 9-13 March 2011).

Ο Γενικός Γραμματέας του Παγκόσμιου Οργανισμού Τουρισμού Taleb Rifai επισκέφθηκε το ελληνικό περίπτερο στην έκθεση ΙΤΒ και είχε συνάντηση με τον Υπουργό Πολιτισμού και Τουρισμού Παύλο Γερουλάνο και τον Υφυπουργό Γιώργο Νικητιάδη. Ο κ. Rifai – ο οποίος πέρυσι τη στιγμή της μεγάλης κρίσης για τον ελληνικό τουρισμό μετά και τη φονική πυρκαγιά στη Marfin είχε κάνει θετικές δηλώσεις για τη χώρα μας- εξέφρασε την αγάπη του για την Ελλάδα, αλλά κυρίως την πεποίθηση του ότι έχει όλες τις δυνατότητες για να ισχυροποιήσει σημαντικά την παρουσία της ως τουριστικός προορισμός.

Tourism’s sustained growth and its capacity to tackle global challenges – from economic crises and persistent unemployment to environmental pressures and the poverty imperative – can only be achieved through collective action. This was the central message coming out of the Global Tourism Forum Andorra 2011 (GTF) (Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 6-7 March).

Experts from the private sector, opinion leaders and government representatives from within and outside the tourism sector will examine the state of global tourism at the upcoming Global Tourism Forum Andorra 2011 (Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 6-7 March 2011). Against a backdrop of economic challenges, and considering current developments in the Middle East and North Africa, the spotlight is clearly set on the future development of tourism, as one of the leading socio-economic phenomena of our time.

As normality returns to Egypt and Tunisia, UNWTO welcomes efforts by national authorities to restore confidence among tourists and by foreign governments to update travel advisories accordingly. Tourism is a central component of both countries’ economies and, as tourists begin to return, can play an important role in overall economic recovery.

Increased investment in sustainable tourism can boost the sector’s contribution to economic growth, development and particularly job creation, while at the same time addressing major environmental challenges, according to the just released United Nations Green Economy Report.