Ετικέτα: UNWTO

The wide range of products and services which constitute the UNWTO technical assistance portfolio will be officially presented at the international tourism trade fair, FITUR 2011 (Madrid, Spain, 20 January).

The members of the UNWTO Knowledge Network (UNWTO.Know), a worldwide community of innovative knowledge institutions, universities and other public and private organizations dedicated to furthering tourism know-how, will come together for the first time at the Network’s kick-off meeting, held in the context of the international tourism trade fair, FITUR 2011 (Madrid, Spain, 19 January).

UNWTO is advancing its collaboration with Egypt to strengthen tourism competitiveness in the country. Areas of cooperation include new accommodation quality standards, the development of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) and the UN Millennium Development Goal Fund (MDG-F) Dahshour project on rural tourism.

The new digital platform of the UNWTO Affiliate Members will arrive, with the official presentation of ‘platma’ to take place during the seminar “Innovative solutions applied to the development of the tourism sector” on 20 January 2011 in the context of the Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR). Platma is the concrete result of UNWTO's efforts to utilize advanced technologies that facilitate and foster the exchange of information between the public and private sectors of world tourism.

Recent years have seen some large increases in the budgets of National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) in emerging economies, a new joint UNWTO and European Travel Commission (ETC) report has revealed.

Intelligent investment in emerging markets and renewable energies, the development of new, innovative technologies and access to knowledge are all decisive in enhancing tourism’s competitiveness and its contribution to global growth, development and job creation. These areas provide the focus for UNWTO activities at the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2011 (Madrid, Spain, 19-23 January 2011).

The Indonesian city of Yogyakarta and surrounding areas are safe and fully accessible for tourists following the eruption of the nearby Mount Merapi volcano last October. Most of the tourist infrastructure has not been affected by the eruption and the rapid response of the Indonesian authorities and the international community has allowed for a quick return to normality. UNWTO has been in close contact with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to minimize the impact on the region’s tourism sector.

As negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16) are held in Mexico, the role of tourism in combating global warming should once again be highlighted. A COP16 side-event, organized jointly by the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico and UNWTO, ‘Tourism’s response to climate change: What’s next? has outlined the progress made by the sector to mitigate its impact and adapt to one of today’s biggest challenges (Cancun, Mexico, 6 December). Opening the event, Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón, stated that, “tourism is perfectly compatible with the environment,” and that focus must be placed on tourism’s "environmental calling”.

Knowledge management has become an essential instrument for developing effective tourism strategies; particularly important for strengthening the sector’s ability to respond to current global challenges, from the economic crisis to climate change. Against this background, UNWTO, Tourism Portugal and the University of the Algarve are organizing a conference on ‘Tourism and Science: Bridging Theory and Practice’, to advance a global knowledge management framework for tourism (Faro, Portugal, 1-3 June 2011).

Since 2007, close to fifty UNWTO Volunteers have been working on tourism development projects around the world to make a difference to the lives...