Tourism professionals to gather in Andorra to discuss hospitality models in mountain destinations
The 10th edition of the World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism will take place from 21 to 23 March 2018
in Andorra, under the title “Shaping the Future of Hospitality in Mountain Destinations”. The Congress is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Andorra and the Commune of Escaldes-Engordany. The event, which is held every two years, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year.
Botswana launches updated Tourism Satellite Account with the support of UNWTO
Aligned with its commitment to develop tourism measurement Botswana has launched an update of its Tourism Satellite Account. The one year project was developed with the technical support of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Supporting tourism development in Africa through better measurement
In an effort to better measure tourism growth and development in Africa, UNWTO signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation for the Strengthening of the National Tourism Statistical System of Nigeria and the Development of a Tourism Satellite Account.
Fernando Hierro, new UNWTO Ambassador for Responsible Tourism
International football star Fernando Hierro has been named Ambassador for Responsible Tourism in a meeting held today at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with its Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
Innovation and training on the agenda of UNWTO Secretary-General visit to Portugal
Innovation and training were at the centre of the official visit of Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to Portugal on 22-23 January. Following meetings with the Portuguese President, Prime Minister, Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives from the private sector, a joint training and innovation action plan was agreed between UNWTO and Portugal. On the occasion, the Alentejo Sustainable Tourism Observatory joined the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).
Since February 2018, the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10 YFP) has a new brand – the One Planet network. The Sustainable Tourism Programme of the 10 YFP has also gained a new name: the One Planet – Sustainable Tourism Network. The Network continues to operate as a collaborative platform bringing together initiatives and facilitating new activities to accelerate the implementation of SDG12 by the tourism sector as well as other connected SDGs.
Overall, more than 90 actors have linked more than 390 activities to the Portfolio of Work of the Newtork; a tool that aggregates efforts of members towards shared goals with a value of over USD 25 million. Some examples of activities include the Conference on Sustainable Tourism in SIDS held in the Seychelles (SSTF); trainings on sustainable practices by GSTC and PATA involving Asian countries and businesses; publications such as the Handbook “Destination: a circular tourism economy” for South Baltic countries (CRT); tools like the Business Optimizer targeting French SMEs (CCI); projects such as My Green Butler piloting in United Arab Emirates among other destinations (ICRT) or Tourism Tracer in Australia (University of Tasmania); monitoring instruments such as the Indicators of the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Greater Caribbean (ACS) or commitments like the ITP Goals for the hotel industry.
ITB 2018 (Berlin, Germany, 7-11 March 2018)
8th UNWTO Silk Road Ministers Meeting (7 March 2018, Berlin, Germany)
7th UNWTO Silk Road Tour Operators Forum (8 March 2018, Berlin, Germany)
10th World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism (21-23 March 2018, Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra)
A joint effort by UNWTO, UNDP and other partners, Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030 aims to build knowledge, and empower and inspire tourism stakeholders to take necessary action to accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable tourism sector by aligning policies, business operations and investments with the SDGs. The publication intends to disentangle the links between tourism and the SDGs and provides recommendations on how to steer the road towards 2030, based on an analysis of 64 countries’ Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the SDGs – submitted to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2016 and 2017 –, as well as eight Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) country roadmaps and corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of 60 global tourism companies.
Don’t miss our Silk Road events at ITB Berlin
The year 2015 has been a milestone for global development as governments have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The bold agenda sets out a global framework to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change until 2030.
Building on the historic Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 associated targets is people-centered, transformative, universal and integrated. Tourism has the potential to contribute, directly or indirectly to all of the goals. In particular, it has been included as targets in Goals 8, 12 and 14 on inclusive and sustainable use of oceans and marines resources, respectively.
Sustainable tourism is firmly positioned in the 2030 Agenda. A clear implementation framework, adequate financing and investment in technology, infrastructure and human resources is required to achieve this agenda. UNWTO is placing its efforts and tireless work in contributing with its technical assistance and capacity-building to the achievement of these global goals.
