WTTC and UNWTO call on UK to lift flight ban to Sharm el Sheikh
In a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, and Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UNWTO, stressed the importance of resuming operations to the Egyptian coastal resort as the current travel advisory is having devastating effects on the country’s economy and social stability.
The ban has been in place since a Metrojet airline flying from Sharm el Sheikh to St Petersburg crashed in the Sinai Desert in October 2015.
They said: “Travel & Tourism is vital to Egypt’s economy and social peace, contributing 11% of the country’s GDP and 2.6 million in jobs in 2015. The reduction of visitors has created huge employment losses. The country’s biggest concern is how the lack of employment opportunities, especially for young men and women, has instilled a desperate disposition and thus vulnerability to radicalisation or to fleeing on a refugee boat.”
Egyptian authorities have taken significant measures to step up the level of security not only in the airport but in the surrounding area as well. These improvements now meet the safety standards as indicated by the UK Department for Transport. All other countries, including Germany and Russia, have allowed their airlines to start flying to Sharm el Sheikh again.
They concluded: “It is devastating to see the impact the current UK travel advisory has on Egypt and on the young workforce in particular. We call on the UK government to review the advisory and allow commercial aircraft to fly to Sharm el Sheikh and thereby help restore the country’s Travel & Tourism sector’s GDP and employment provision.”
UNWTO congress to discuss the links between cultural heritage and creative tourism
The World Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria will jointly host the International Congress on World Civilizations and Creative Tourism on 29 November – 1 December 2016 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Congress will discuss how creative tourism can play a significant role in safeguarding and promoting tangible and intangible heritage as well as in generating socio-economic benefits.
In 2015, almost 1.2 billion international tourists travelled the world and UNWTO forecasts continued growth in the years to come. UNWTO estimates that cultural tourism accounts for around 40% of all international tourist arrivals as per the report ‘Tourism and Culture Synergies’.
The conference will address how world civilizations can be brought back to life through the collaboration with creative industries – such as architecture, design, arts, technology and science – while contributing to sustainable tourism development.
A high‑level debate moderated by CNN’s Max Foster will gather 20 ministers of tourism from around the world to discuss how effective partnership models can be developed to contribute to safeguarding and promoting world civilizations, while creating socio-economic benefits for local communities.
In 2015, Bulgaria received 7 million international tourists generating US$ 3.1 billion in exports. It is expected that this year the country, whose population is around 7 million, will welcome more than 8 million international tourists – up from 6 million in 2010. These results reflect the commitment of Bulgaria to tourism development, including the creation in 2014 and for the first time of a dedicated Ministry of Tourism.
Ilunion Hotels receives UNWTO Ethics Award
The World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE) has awarded Ilunion Hotels with the UNWTO Ethics Award. The Award distinguishes Ilunion Hotels for its work in the area of accessible tourism for all and its contribution to change attitudes, break down social barriers and make the accommodation industry more inclusive.
This new category of the UNWTO Awards, the flagship awards of the World Tourism Organization, aims to recognize tourism companies and associations for their commitment and work in the promotion and implementation of the principles of the Global Code of Ethics of Tourism.
Ilunion Hotels’ pioneer policies and outstanding commitment in the area of universal accessibility is applied throughout its business model, comprising not only customers with disabilities and other access needs, but also its employees and suppliers. For these reasons, the Jury considered that Ilunion Hotels represents a virtuous, innovative and replicable best practice of corporate social responsibility.
The Jury of the UNWTO Ethics Award is composed of the Chair and members of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, an independent and impartial body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.
The 13th UNWTO Awards Ceremony will take place on 18 January 2017 in Madrid, in collaboration with the International Tourism Trade Fair (IFEMA/FITUR).
Climate Change is still Existential – US election doesn’t change science
The president of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), Professor Geoffrey Lipman is alarmed. In his blog addressed to ICTP members he published his concern about the President Elect of the United States of America, Donald J Trump. Professor Lipman is viewed as a senior authority in the global travel and tourism industry.
Previously he was the first CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and assistant secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He is now the president of ICTP, a Hawaii, Brussels, Seychelles and Bali based membership organizations with tourism board and stakeholders in 114 countries.
The ICTP president has this to say:
“They say that a week is a long time in politics. It’s been just over a week since Donald J. Trump won the most powerful job in the world.
This election gave the most powerful job in the world to a man who denies climate change (as a Chinese hoax), says he will rip up the Paris Agreement, not put any US money into the Global Climate Fund, emasculate at best the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) and will take the shackles off the US (and hence global) fossil fuel sector.
I have no rights to protest the overall policy line of the President – elect of the United States, but as a part of humanity, I have a duty to oppose his disastrous climate positions.
We need the Paris Accords – a bare minimum of global climate leadership towards a low carbon economy. We need smart decarbonization regulation. We need a sharp shift towards renewables and away from fossil fuel. We need market based carbon pricing and new energy incentives. We need a 2050 “No Carbon Aviation Moon-shot”.
As I wrote in my last blog “this is just the start of a 3-decade carbon detox that will require a new dedication from every stakeholder, a new ability to think outside the box and to embrace new ways of doing business.”
Now, even more than before, with an existential climate change believer replaced by a denier in the White House, we must intensify the pro Paris mindset and find ways to preserve and strengthen the Accords.
A week ago we saw SUN, the Strong Universal Network, simply as a means to help travel destinations and their stakeholders keep a focus on climate resilience and move to a green growth transformation path. Now it’s part of the Paris Accords defense system.
Maurice Strong – in whose memory SUN is fashioned and who passed away a year ago would approve of the additional emphasis – he spent his life pushing for long term action on Sustainable Development and fighting humbug. In his latter days, he targeted climate change as the biggest threat to humanity and an existential challenge.
Every week the threat gets larger.
This week I’m addressing the Asia Pacific Eco-Tourism Summit in Tasmania and it’s a message I shall be delivering. Geoffrey H. Lipman, President ICTP and co-founder SUN.”
ICTP is a global membership organization of travel and tourism stakeholders and destinations with a common goal of Green Growth + Quality = Business. The International Coalition is based in Hawaii, Brussels, Seychelles and Bali with members in 114 countries.
More information http://www.ictp.travel
UNWTO supports Sudan´s Tourism Development
UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, has expressed the commitment of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to support Sudan’s tourism development during his recent official visit to Sudan. The visit coincided with a three-day regional executive training on crisis communication in tourism organized by UNWTO and the UNWTO.Themis Foundation (Khartoum, Sudan, 15-17 November, 2016).
Meeting with the President of the Republic of Sudan, H.E. Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, to present the ‘Open Letter on Travel and Tourism’, a campaign promoted jointly by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to raise awareness of the value of tourism to development, Mr. Rifai reiterated the potential of the tourism sector in creating new opportunities for the people of Sudan.
The President expressed Sudan’s appreciation for the support of UNWTO by presenting UNWTO Secretary-General with the Order of the Two Niles Grand Cross.
The official visit also included meetings with the press to address the issues of perception in Africa and a visit to Port Sudan and to the recently nominated World Heritage site of the Sanganeb Island. There Mr Rifai emphasized the need to build and have the right infrastructure in place and be able to communicate effective and positive messages to the world about Sudan.
Perception issues and the generalization of the impact of crises in specific locations to the whole region are some of the main obstacles facing tourism development in Africa. To address this, UNWTO and the UNWTO.Themis Foundation have organized a three days training on crisis communication in Sudan. Crisis communication preparedness is key to build resilience in Africa as it allows destinations to minimize the impact of crisis situations on the tourism sector and thus on its socio-economic benefits.
The course, part of UNWTO/UNWTO.Themis Foundation ongoing training on crisis communication, brought together nearly 60 communications professionals from eleven African countries. During three days, participants increased their capacities on crisis communications preparedness and management and exchanged experiences in managing crises.
UNWTO awards Geoffrey Wall the Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism
The UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge recognizes the remarkable work of Professor Geoffrey Wall on several issues, but particularly on tourism and climate change. The Prize will be bestowed on Professor Wall during the UNWTO Awards Ceremony to be held on 18 January 2017 in Madrid on the occasion of FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid, Spain.
Professor Wall is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Canada, where he has been teaching for more than 40 years.
The Prize has particularly valued Professor Wall’s pioneer research on tourism and climate change and his work on ecotourism and tourism planning. His ecotourism assessment framework and economic impacts assessment models have been effectively implemented in parks and protected areas in many parts of the world. Most of his research has been undertaken in Asia, with a recent emphasis on natural and cultural heritage and indigenous people.
A prolific writer and researcher, Professor Wall has published more than 200 publications in refereed journals, more than 100 book chapters and about 20 books and monographs. He has also supervised more than 100 graduate students; many of them are now leaders in the tourism field.
Professor Wall has also considerable involvement in practical international planning initiatives. For example, he contributed to the Bali Sustainable Development Project, directed two Five-Year projects in China on coastal zone management in Hainan, and on eco-planning and development; and has been an advisor on many tourism planning initiatives, from provincial to local level, especially in China. He is currently assisting the preparation of the application for UNESCO World Heritage sites in Western China.
Tourism committed to fight climate change – COP 22
The role of tourism in implementing the Paris Agreement was on the table on the occasion of the 22nd Session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP22). The International Symposium of the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the United Nations 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), held during COP 22, discussed how to advance Sustainable Tourism in a Changing Climate.
The Symposium aimed at increasing awareness on tourism and climate change-related issues and encourage the sector to engage in actions that reinforce national commitments to the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
“The tourism sector is both a vector and a victim of climate change and we are fully committed to contribute to reach the objectives set by the Paris Agreement. This event was essential to advance this agenda, especially the discussion on measurement and reporting requirements as a basis for identifying and prioritizing climate action in tourism”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
“Sustainable tourism creates opportunities and assembles partners to help transform the industry towards low emissions and more efficient and less polluting operations. We must make tourism and every other industry contributor to our climate change action and a sustainable future”, said Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, in her video address to the event.
The event focused in particular in the need for partnerships with the private sector and the role of sustainable transportation to accelerate climate action in tourism.
“Climate change can only be addressed if actors from all parts of society – governments, businesses, NGOs and consumers – make a global and broad shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. Accounting for 10% of GDP, 7% of the world’s exports and one in 11 jobs, tourism is one of the main economic sectors in the world, and as such has to be at the core of this essential transition,” said Charles Arden-Clarke, Head of the 10YFP Secretariat.
The International Symposium was part of the 3-day COP22 Tourism Side Events organized by the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme and hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Morocco. The Programme is a partnership led by UNWTO with the Governments of France, Morocco and the Republic of Korea as co-leads, with support of the 10YFP Secretariat at UN Environment, aimed at accelerating the shift towards more sustainable consumption and production. It was followed by a networking event involving financial institutions on sustainable tourism as well as by the Annual Conference on Saturday 12 November, where members of the network exchanged experiences and discussed priorities and next steps in the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme.
Economic and national security a common objective: UNWTO/WTM Ministerial
Ministers of Tourism from nearly 60 countries and industry leaders gathered at the Ministers’ Summit organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Travel Market in London to discuss how to grow cooperation in safe, secure and seamless travel. The inclusion of tourism in crisis and emergency structures, travel advisories, perception and coordination were pointed as main issues to be addressed. Participants agreed that economic and national security can and should be a common objective.
The 10th edition of the Minister Summit was held under the title ‘Tourism and Security: Promoting Safe and Seamless Travel’. The event discussed the various risks affecting travel and tourism – health scares, natural disasters, geopolitical changes and terrorism – and called for a full integration of tourism into national crisis and emergency structures.
The lack of a coordinated approach and the need to set crisis management systems were pointed out as the biggest challenges to safe, secure and seamless travel. Participants stress that security is a shared responsibility among public and private sector and across government administrations at all level. In this respect, they recalled the need to build global standards and recognition of mechanisms such as passengers’ information.
“Underpinning our discussions is the conviction that advancing safe, secure and seamless travel requires national and international coalitions between all tourism and security stakeholders as well as between public and private sectors” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai,
Perception was pointed out as one of the main obstacles in crisis management and recovery. In this respect, ministers and private sector called for increased capacity in crisis communication and management as well further collaboration among public and private sector and the media stressing that communication should be clear on ‘what the situation is’ and ‘what is being done’.
Participants unanimously agreed that “what happens in any destination affects all others” and that as such the international community needs to work further together on travel advisories and increase dialogue between destinations and source markets. “Tourism brings jobs and economic growth; and if we fail to support destinations affected we fail to create social stability and peace” said participants.
The Summit was chaired by CNN International’s Becky Anderson.
Summit Speakers: Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA); Nina Brooks, Head, Security, Airports Council International (ACI); H.E. Obediah Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism of the Bahamas and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO); Beatrice Maille, Director General, Consular Policy Bureau, Global Affairs Canada, H.E. Mohamed Yehia Rashed, Minister of Tourism, Egypt; Vijay Poonoosamy; Vice President International Affairs; Office of the President & CEO; Etihad Airways; Paul Steele, Senior Vice President Member and External Relations, Corporate Secretary, International Air Transport Association (IATA); H.E. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Ryoichi Matsuyama, President; Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO); H.E. Edward Zammit Lewis, Minister of Tourism, Malta, Fritz Joussen, Chief Executive Officer, TUI; Aldo Lale-Demoz, Deputy Executive Director and Director of the Division for Operations, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, United States Department of Commerce and David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
UNWTO/WTM Ministers Summit discusses Safe and Seamless Travel
Minister of Tourism from over 50 countries and leaders from the private sector companies and associations will convene at the Ministers Summit organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel Market in London, to discuss safe, secure and seamless travel.
The 10th edition of the Minister Summit to be held on 9 November under the title ‘Tourism and Security: Promoting Safe and Seamless Travel,’ will address the major safety and security challenges that the sector faces, ways of cooperation and effective crisis preparedness and management.
As stated by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, “safety and security are key pillars of tourism development and we need to strengthen our common action to build a safe, secure and seamless travel framework. I trust this Summit will help us move forward on this important common challenge as we work to ensure that safety and security can go hand in hand with promoting a seamless travel experience.”
World Travel Market London Senior Director, Simon Press, said: “Safe and Seamless travel is the key topic for all those involved in global travel and tourism. All the speakers at this year’s summit have direct experience of the impact of terrorism and the fight to keep nations, citizens and tourists safe. I look forward to a thought-provoking and productive discussion”.
The Summit is chaired by CNN International’s Becky Anderson. Confirmed speakers include:
– Mr. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA
– Ms. Nina Brooks, Head, Security, Airports Council International (ACI) World
– H.E. Mr. Obediah Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism of the Bahamas, Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)
– H.E. Ms. Beatrice Maille, Director General, Consular Policy Bureau , Global Affairs Canada, Canada
– H.E. Mr. Mohamed Yehia Rashed, Minister of Tourism, Egypt
– Mr. Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President International Affairs, Office of the President & CEO, Etihad Airways
– Mr. Paul Steele, Senior Vice President Member and External Relations, Corporate Secretary, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
– H.E. Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, India
– Mr. Ryoichi Matsuyama, President, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
– H.E. Mr. Edward Zammit Lewis, Minister of Tourism, Malta
– Mr. Fritz Joussen, Chief Executive Officer , TUI
– H.E. Mrs. Selma Elloumi Rekik, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Tunisia
– H.E. Mr. Nabi Avci, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Turkey
– Mr. Aldo Lale-Demoz, Deputy Executive Director and Director of the Division for Operations, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
– H.E. Ms. Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, United States Department of Commerce
– Mr. David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
Moderator: Becky Anderson, CNN International
Urban planning and city tourism need to go “hand in hand”, concludes UNWTO Summit
The 5th UNWTO City Tourism Summit in Luxor, Egypt gathered around 400 experts from 40 countries to discuss the theme ‘Cities: Local culture for a global traveler’. The event, organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Ministry of Tourism of Egypt, concluded on the importance of ensuring urban planning and city tourism development are fully coordinated. Authenticity, local culture, the engagement of local communities and the use of technology were pointed out as key success factors for city tourism.
Participants discussed city tourism trends including new business models, such as the so-called “sharing economy”, the importance of millennials, emerging niche markets, how to build authentic cultural experiences and engage local communities, safety and security, and congestion management.
The Minister of Antiquities of Egypt, Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Tourism Mohamed Yehia Rashed, Governor of Luxor Mohamed Sayed Badr, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Organizations of Egypt, Hisham Badr, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai and the President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), David Scowsill, addressed the meeting.
“Holding this event in Luxor shows how Egypt and its people are committed to tourism and is a very positive sign that Egypt will recover to be the leading tourism destination it has historically been,” said Minister Rashed.
UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai expressed the Organization’s full confidence in Egypt’s tourism recovery, recalling that holding such an important meeting in Luxor displays the trust of the international tourism community in the destination.
The High-Level Panel of the Summit, moderated by BBC Travel Show presenter Rajan Datar, stressed the importance of placing tourism high in the urban agenda and creating mechanisms of coordination and joint planning. Issues of congestion management, safety and security, and engagement with host communities were also discussed.
“We should never fear the growth of the tourism sector; it is the way we manage it that makes the difference,” said Mr. Rifai during the panel. He stressed that “a city that does not serve its citizens will not serve its visitors, thus the importance of engaging local communities and tourists”.
Participants also stressed the need to maximize the resources generated by tourism for heritage preservation and renovation, the roles of gastronomy and creative culture in attracting and engaging tourists; and how the 270 million young travelers of today demand new authentic products and connectivity twenty-four seven.
The closing keynote was delivered by Egyptian archaeologist Mr. Zahi Hawass, who shared his exemplary experience.
During the Summit, UNWTO presented its City Tourism Network Action Plan as well as a new initiative – ‘Mayors for Tourism’ – that will see mayors and cities’ decision-makers collaborate on tourism issues.
The 6th UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 2017.