By Dean M. Bernardo, eTN Manila.

Manila – The 6th United Nations World Tourism International Conference on Tourism Statistics opened Wednesday morning in the Philippine capital with thousands of delegates from around the world in attendance.

The three-day conference aims to determine and achieve a global approach in fulfilling the “Sustainable Development Goals” of all member countries.

Philippine Tourism Minister Wanda T. Tulfo led the welcoming of delegates at the opening ceremonies at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

UNTWO Secretary General Taleb Rifal opened the conference and highlighted the recent rise of violence in different parts of the world and the risk it brings to the public and its effect on tourism.

Rifal praised the Philippines for its resiliency and its continuing efforts in bringing forward sustainable development in its tourism sector. Rifal added that the Philippines is a beautiful country with beautiful people with a smile, generous to give.

Rifal said in his speech that the violence should stop and adds, “There should be no hate. How can one hate someone who shared is home, his food to anyone visiting.”

Meanwhile, Paul Leholla of the UN Statistical Commission raised the importance of statistics in making public the truth in the era of fake news. He said that measuring tourism performance will bring better planning, better services in communities.

Philippine Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III also assured delegates that the Philippines continue to be a safe country despite the recent declaration of Martial Law in the southern island of Mindanao.

The Philippine is still fighting an insurgency led by militants who sieged the Islamic city of Marawi on May 23rd, attempting to establish a caliphate loyal to Islamic State of Iraq & Syria.

Pimentel stressed that the Duterte administration allows nearly US$23 Billion for the Philippine tourism industry under the “Build, Build, Build” program in the last 5 years of the current government.