David Scowsill, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), said: ?Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, who once again find themselves victim of a natural disaster, this time in the form of Hurricane Matthew. Many people have died or been injured. Our hearts go out to the families of those affected.

It is particularly distressing to see that Haiti has been hit again, just as the country was finally recovering from the devastation caused by the earthquake in 2010.

Haiti is a beautiful country with enormous future potential. On behalf of the entire Travel & Tourism sector we stand by Haiti, as it comes to terms with this latest terrible disaster.? 

The 38^th Plenary Session of the UNWTO Affiliate Members took place in Yerevan, Armenia between 1 and 4 October. The meeting discussed the latest tourism trends, public-private collaboration and promoting good practices in the sector. The event was held in parallel with the  43^rd UNWTO Affiliate Members Board meeting, which adopted the Affiliate Members 2017 Action Plan.

This year’s session comprised debates on the key issues shaping the 2017 Action Plan: the future of tourism, cultural tourism, city tourism and the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

“It is an honour to host the 38th Affiliate Members Plenary Session and to welcome all participants to Armenia. Armenia boasts an incredibly rich history and varied traditions and it is with great pride that we share them with visitors. The key to a peaceful future are these kinds of intercultural exchanges and dialogue, promoting understanding and friendship as well as public and private partnerships” underlined Mr. Garegin Melkonyan, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia.

During the meeting, Affiliate Members shared information on their role, goals, new projects, challenges and expectations in the context of public-private collaboration and global tourism.

“This meeting is very significant as it is held at a crucial time in the development of tourism. The sector is dealing with numerous exogenous shocks, including seismic economic changes and terror, which have heightened uncertainty and invite serious consideration on possible solutions. Tourism has a pivotal role to play in tackling these global problems as one of the most inclusive and resilient sectors in the world,” said Edmund Bartlett, Chairman of the Board of the Affiliate Members, Representative of Consolidated Tourism and Investment Consultants Limited (CTICO).

“We are very pleased to be meeting in Armenia. Armenia is one of many examples of great potential in tourism; it holds extraordinary natural assets and unique cultural diversity and traditions, and this immense potential has started to translate into strong tourism results,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.

The event also featured three inspirational lectures by recognized experts:

– The Future of Tourism, by Professor Eduardo Fallos-Solá, Ulysses Foundation

– Marketing Innovation in Tourism, by Professor Luiz Moutinho, DCU Business School, Dublin City University, Ireland

– New Niches in Cultural Tourism: the Archaeoastronimical Context, by Dr. Clive Ruggles, University of Leicester, United Kingdom

The 500 UNWTO Affiliate Members represents the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) calls on all nation states to reach an agreement on the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) General Assembly in Montreal.

David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said: “CORSIA is an extremely important, if not mandatory step towards the aviation industry’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions. The scheme embodies the cooperation across the industry and across the public and private sector, something WTTC strongly believes in. We urge all governments to follow the lead of over 60 countries who already indicated their participation in the scheme, and ensure that this global and momentous agreement is reached.”

“In the face of climate change, and increasing demands for the sustainable growth of Travel & Tourism, we need to embrace and act upon this initiative to ensure we preserve the assets the world has to offer.” Scowsill added.”

Madrid, Spain, 29 September 2016, International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 4% between January and June 2016 compared to the same period last year. Destinations worldwide received 561 million international tourists (overnight visitors), 21 million more than in 2015, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

Asia and the Pacific demonstrated renewed strength this first half of 2016, receiving 9% more international arrivals, the highest growth across world regions. In the Americas, international arrivals increased by 4%, led by Central America and South America. Europe (+3%) showed mixed results, with solid growth in many destinations offset by weaker performance in others. In Africa (+5%), Sub-Saharan destinations rebounded strongly, while North Africa continued to report weak results. Limited data for the Middle East points to an estimated decrease of 9% in international arrivals this six-month period, though results vary from destination to destination.

“Tourism has proven to be one of the most resilient economic sectors worldwide. It is creating jobs for millions, at a time when providing perspectives for a better future to people of all regions is one of our biggest challenges. But tourism is also creating bonds among people of all nations and backgrounds, bringing down stereotypes and fighting fear and distrust”, said 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. This is no time to build walls or point fingers; it is time to build an alliance based on a shared vision and a joint responsibility.” he added.

Regional Results

Growth accelerated in Asia and the Pacific with international arrivals up 9% through June, driven by robust intraregional demand. Oceania (+10%) led growth, followed by North-East Asia, South-East Asia (both +9%) and South Asia (+7%).

International tourist arrivals to Europe grew by 3% between January and June 2016, with mixed results across destinations. Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe both recorded 5% more international arrivals. Though many destinations posted positive results, growth in both Western Europe (+1%) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+2%) was slow.

International arrivals in the Americas were up 4% in the first half of the year, in line with the world average. Strong US outbound flows continued to benefit many destinations across the region. Central America and South America (both +6%) led growth, while arrivals in both the Caribbean and North America grew by 4%.

Comparatively limited data available for Africa points to a 5% increase in international arrivals, with Sub-Saharan Africa (+12%) recovering vigorously, but North Africa down by 9%. International arrivals in the Middle East decreased by an estimated 9%, with mixed results among destinations.

Positive prospects for the second half of the year

The first half of the year typically accounts for around 46% of the total international arrivals count of the year. For the remainder of 2016 prospects are positive overall. Countries that have already reported results till July or August show continued growth in the current Northern Hemisphere summer peak season. The UNWTO Panel of Experts evaluated the period May-August also favourably and remains confident about the September-December period, in line with the trend of the first half of the year. Confidence is highest in Africa, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific, while experts in Europe and the Middle East are somewhat more cautious.

Demand for travel abroad varies across source markets

China, the world’s top source market, continued to report double-digit growth in expenditure on international travel (+20% in the first quarter of 2016), benefiting destinations in the region and beyond. The United States, the world’s second largest market, increased expenditure on outbound travel by 8% through July, thanks to a strong currency. Third largest market, Germany, reported a 4% increase in expenditure through July. Other markets that showed robust demand for outbound travel in the first half of 2016 were Spain (+20%), Norway (+11%), Australia (+10%) and Japan (+6%). Meanwhile expenditure from the Russian Federation and Brazil continues to be weak, reflecting the economic constraints and depreciated currencies in both markets.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai called for increased cooperation between tourism source markets and destinations that have been affected by crises. Addressing the 20^th Summit of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) on 26 September in Berlin, Germany on the topic of ‘Safe, Secure and Seamless Travel’, Rifai said: “real crises are often magnified or distorted by crises of perception. We need to enhance our support to countries affected by crises as they recover and help them increase their resilience. Supporting these countries will benefit the whole tourism sector and the whole of society.”

Attending the Summit was Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stressed the opportunities that sustainable tourism provides for developing and emerging countries. “It is important for the tourism sector to emphasize local culture and local products and services, to generate truly genuine development opportunities,” said the Chancellor. Ms. Merkel highlighted the role of tourism in development assistance. “Many refugees come from African countries. We need to give people economic development perspectives in their home countries. Tourism could contribute significantly to this,” she said.

Speaking about the need to build a framework of safe, secure and seamless travel, Mr Rifai said: “Safety and security is one of the global challenges our world is experiencing. No country is immune to security risks. Not one. It is a global responsibility that we must face together, across sectors and borders.” He called for increased cooperation, saying: “Let us respond not with isolation but with unity. We must be vigilant to ensure that cooperation prevails over isolation and that safe and seamless travel can go hand in hand”.

“A condition of tourism’s success is positive cooperation – between visitor and host, between source market and destination, and also between the tourism and security sectors. For this reason I call for the mainstreaming of tourism into national, regional and global safety and security agendas. Effective coordination, information sharing and communication mechanisms between tourism and security will lead to safer and more seamless travel, as well as better crisis management,” he added.

The UNWTO Secretary-General also welcomed the launch of the Transcultural Dialogue in Tourism series, an initiative of BTW and the Centre for Innovation and Sustainability in Tourism (CITS). “By its very nature, a partnership between Germany and one host country, this will be a truly remarkable effort to harness that incredible power of tourism to build bridges of trust and tolerance. This supports the conviction that all people, no matter how diverse their background, can benefit economies and societies. Tourism is a leading sector in providing solutions and opportunities for inclusion, and intercultural dialogue is a way of finding these solutions,” said Mr Rifai.

“The facilitation of intercultural dialogue has always been part of the essence of our sector. In these times, this dialogue is more important than ever,” said Michel Frenzel, President of BTW.

Despite current challenges, Mr Rifai stressed that tourism is proving to be one of the most resilient economic sectors worldwide, creating jobs for millions and contributing to more inclusive growth. He recalled that in 2015, international tourist arrivals reached 1.186 million, 52 million more than in 2014, and that data for the first half of 2016 confirmed this positive trend with a 4% increase in international tourist arrivals.

Mr. Rifai also highlighted the good results of Germany’s tourism sector. Germany welcomed 35 million international tourists last year, 2 million more than in 2014, earning the country 33 billion euros in exports.