United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has released a set of guidelines designed to help the sector emerge stronger and more sustainably from Covid-19.
The guidelines highlight the need to act decisively, to restore confidence and, as UNWTO strengthens its partnership with Google, to embrace innovation and the digital transformation of global tourism.
The guidelines were produced in consultation with the Global Tourism Crisis Committee and aim to support governments and private sector platers as they to recover from an unparalleled crisis.
Depending on when travel restrictions are lifted, the United Nations specialised agency warns that international tourist arrivals could fall by between 60 and 80 per cent.
This puts 100-120 million jobs at risk and could lead to US$910 billion to US$1.2 trillion lost in exports.
UNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: These guidelines provide both governments and businesses with a comprehensive set of measures designed to help them open tourism up again in a safe, seamless and responsible manner.
They are the product of the enhanced cooperation that has characterized tourism’s response to this shared challenge, building on knowledge and inputs from across the public and private sectors and from several UN agencies as part of the UN’s wider response.
The new guide, a follow up of the recommendations for action already endorsed by the Committee, is focused on seven priorities for tourism recovery based on the pillars of mitigating the economic impact, developing safety protocols and coordinated responds and fostering innovation.
These guidelines provide both governments and businesses with a comprehensive set of measures designed to help them open tourism up again in a safe, seamless and responsible manner
They highlight the importance of restoring the confidence of the travellers through safety and security protocols designed to reduce risks in each step of the tourism value chain.
These protocols include the implementation of check procedures where appropriate, including temperature scans, testing, physical distancing, enhanced frequency of cleaning and the provision of hygiene kits for safe air travel, hospitality services or safe events.
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Showing posts with label United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 June 2020
Thursday, 9 March 2017
NIGERIA: Nigeria To Make Visa Issuance Faster
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday in Abuja reiterated call for a change in the nation’s visa administration to encourage tourists and investors.
The minister made the call when he received Jim Flannery, an international advisor to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, UNTWO.
The advisor was sent by UNWTO to assist in the review of Nigeria Tourism Master Plan.
The minister stressed that a new regime that allowed for easy access to visa for tourists and investors at point of entry was required for the tourism sector to grow.
He said he was glad that government had set up a committee on the ease of doing business which would look into it.
The minister also underscored the need for the nation to do away with bureaucracy and encourage full participation of the private sector in growing the tourism industry.
“We must begin to understand that tourism is the new oil that we have failed to discover and exploit.
“It is shocking that Nigeria with a population of about 170 million people and land mass of about one million sq km has only two world heritage sites.
“Whereas, Italy with population of about 50 million people has 51 world heritage sites.
“What that means is that people will not come to our country unless they see what they can be attracted to.
“That explains why France attracted 120 million tourists last year, while the whole of Africa attracted less than 50 million and why three out of five jobs in Italy, three are from the creative industry.
“This figure will show you the importance of tourism and Nigeria is the new tourists destination and we really need to work together to harness the potential in the industry,” he said.
The minister said he was glad to receive the UNWTO delegate whose coming was a fall out of his trip to the headquarters of the world tourism body in Madrid, Spain in July.
The minister recalled that during the visit, the UNWTO agreed to send an expert to help in the review of tourism master plan and to partner in revising the Presidential Council on Tourism.
He said the organisation also promised to assist in organising international conference with the theme; “Tourism as a Tool for Peace’’ in Maiduguri and train women on capacity building in tourism.
The minister urged members of the review committee to cooperate and work with Flanker for a successful review of the master plan.
He said in the course of his stay, Mr. Flannery would meet with major donors like World Bank and UNDP to exploit how they could assist the country in implementing the master plan.
Earlier, Mr. Flannery said the review of the master plan drafted about 10 years ago would not be a total jettison of the existing one.
“We are not here to write a new master plan, because we have a very expansive document before us that has never been implemented.
“This time, our attitude will be let us break it down to smaller steps and identify what can be done quickly to open new products and create new markets.’’
He said that unlike the manufacturing industry, tourism does not need special technical knowhow and huge investment to start.
He noted that tourism was a very viable industry that most countries were now realising and benefitting from and Nigeria would not regret the action taken to reposition the sector.
The minister made the call when he received Jim Flannery, an international advisor to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, UNTWO.
The advisor was sent by UNWTO to assist in the review of Nigeria Tourism Master Plan.
The minister stressed that a new regime that allowed for easy access to visa for tourists and investors at point of entry was required for the tourism sector to grow.
He said he was glad that government had set up a committee on the ease of doing business which would look into it.
The minister also underscored the need for the nation to do away with bureaucracy and encourage full participation of the private sector in growing the tourism industry.
“We must begin to understand that tourism is the new oil that we have failed to discover and exploit.
“It is shocking that Nigeria with a population of about 170 million people and land mass of about one million sq km has only two world heritage sites.
“Whereas, Italy with population of about 50 million people has 51 world heritage sites.
“What that means is that people will not come to our country unless they see what they can be attracted to.
“That explains why France attracted 120 million tourists last year, while the whole of Africa attracted less than 50 million and why three out of five jobs in Italy, three are from the creative industry.
“This figure will show you the importance of tourism and Nigeria is the new tourists destination and we really need to work together to harness the potential in the industry,” he said.
The minister said he was glad to receive the UNWTO delegate whose coming was a fall out of his trip to the headquarters of the world tourism body in Madrid, Spain in July.
The minister recalled that during the visit, the UNWTO agreed to send an expert to help in the review of tourism master plan and to partner in revising the Presidential Council on Tourism.
He said the organisation also promised to assist in organising international conference with the theme; “Tourism as a Tool for Peace’’ in Maiduguri and train women on capacity building in tourism.
The minister urged members of the review committee to cooperate and work with Flanker for a successful review of the master plan.
He said in the course of his stay, Mr. Flannery would meet with major donors like World Bank and UNDP to exploit how they could assist the country in implementing the master plan.
Earlier, Mr. Flannery said the review of the master plan drafted about 10 years ago would not be a total jettison of the existing one.
“We are not here to write a new master plan, because we have a very expansive document before us that has never been implemented.
“This time, our attitude will be let us break it down to smaller steps and identify what can be done quickly to open new products and create new markets.’’
He said that unlike the manufacturing industry, tourism does not need special technical knowhow and huge investment to start.
He noted that tourism was a very viable industry that most countries were now realising and benefitting from and Nigeria would not regret the action taken to reposition the sector.
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
A Billion Visitors In The First Nine Months Of 2016
Tourism sites around the world have recorded close to about one billion visitors in the first nine months of 2016, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) says.
The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer found that destinations around the world received 956 million international tourists between January and September 2016.
“This is 34 million more than in the same period in 2015, a 4 per cent increase,” the organisation said.
The UN tourism agency sated that demand for international tourism remained robust in the first nine months of 2016, though growing at a somewhat more moderate pace.
“After a strong start of the year, growth was slower in the second quarter of 2016 to pick up again in the third quarter of the year. While most destinations report encouraging results, others continue to struggle with the impact of negative events, either in their country or in their region,” it added.
Indicating results for the various regions of the world, it said Asia and the Pacific led growth across world regions with international tourist arrivals, noting that overnight visitors went up 9 per cent through September. It indicated that all the four subregions shared in the growth.
The UNWTO said many destinations reported double-digit growth, with the Republic of Korea (+34 per cent), Vietnam (+36 per cent), Japan (+24 per cent) and Sri Lanka (+15 per cent) in the lead.
According to the UNWTO, in Europe, international arrivals grew by 2 per cent between January and September 2016, with solid growth in most destinations.
“Nonetheless,” it added, “double-digit increases in major destinations such as Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland were offset by feeble results in France, Belgium and Turkey. As a consequence, Northern Europe grew by 6 per cent and Central and Eastern Europe by 5 per cent while results were weaker in Western Europe (-1 per cent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+0 per cent).”
The Barometer indicated that international tourist arrivals in the Americas increased by 4 per cent through September. South America recorded +7 per cent and Central America up at +6 per cent led the results, followed closely by the Caribbean and North America both at +4 per cent.
In Africa there was +8 per cent increase, as sub-Saharan destinations rebounded strongly throughout the year, while North Africa picked up in the third quarter.
Available data for the Middle East points to a 6 per cent decrease in arrivals, though results vary from destination to destination. Results started to gradually improve in the second half of the year in both North Africa and the Middle East,” the UNWTO said.
The UNWTO however indicated that the results from the Barometer reflect preliminary data reported to date and are subject to revision.
The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer found that destinations around the world received 956 million international tourists between January and September 2016.
“This is 34 million more than in the same period in 2015, a 4 per cent increase,” the organisation said.
The UN tourism agency sated that demand for international tourism remained robust in the first nine months of 2016, though growing at a somewhat more moderate pace.
“After a strong start of the year, growth was slower in the second quarter of 2016 to pick up again in the third quarter of the year. While most destinations report encouraging results, others continue to struggle with the impact of negative events, either in their country or in their region,” it added.
Indicating results for the various regions of the world, it said Asia and the Pacific led growth across world regions with international tourist arrivals, noting that overnight visitors went up 9 per cent through September. It indicated that all the four subregions shared in the growth.
The UNWTO said many destinations reported double-digit growth, with the Republic of Korea (+34 per cent), Vietnam (+36 per cent), Japan (+24 per cent) and Sri Lanka (+15 per cent) in the lead.
According to the UNWTO, in Europe, international arrivals grew by 2 per cent between January and September 2016, with solid growth in most destinations.
“Nonetheless,” it added, “double-digit increases in major destinations such as Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland were offset by feeble results in France, Belgium and Turkey. As a consequence, Northern Europe grew by 6 per cent and Central and Eastern Europe by 5 per cent while results were weaker in Western Europe (-1 per cent) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+0 per cent).”
The Barometer indicated that international tourist arrivals in the Americas increased by 4 per cent through September. South America recorded +7 per cent and Central America up at +6 per cent led the results, followed closely by the Caribbean and North America both at +4 per cent.
In Africa there was +8 per cent increase, as sub-Saharan destinations rebounded strongly throughout the year, while North Africa picked up in the third quarter.
Available data for the Middle East points to a 6 per cent decrease in arrivals, though results vary from destination to destination. Results started to gradually improve in the second half of the year in both North Africa and the Middle East,” the UNWTO said.
The UNWTO however indicated that the results from the Barometer reflect preliminary data reported to date and are subject to revision.
Saturday, 22 October 2016
SAMOA: Celebrating World Tourism Day
The World Tourism Day 2016 was celebrated in the country on the 27th of September at the end of
last month, with the event hosted by the Martin Hautus Institute of Learning Samoa (MHILS) at Malololelei.
On the theme ‘Tourism for All, Promoting Universal Accessibility’, the keynote address was delivered by the Hon.Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Fatialofa Lupesoliai Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, delivered the keynote address, and spoke on the importance of Tourism for Samoa.
As we celebrate such a momentous event with the rest of the world, we encourage the tourism sector and all others to ensure the accessibility to all citizens and visitors including those with special needs.” Said Tuilaepa.
“Tourism is the biggest industry in Samoa, we earn close to SAT$400 million every year from tourism.
“We have been investing in many other areas, but, Tourism continues to top all the efforts that we do here in Samoa, and this is why it is so important to have an institution of this nature to help train our people who will provide services within our tourism industry.
The celebration also included a message from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai who said that ““Tourism has experienced a revolution in the past 50 years”.
Often our perception of the world changes as we see more of it. However, we must not forget that for
many, travelling can be quite a difficult process.
“15% of the world’s population is estimated to live with some form of disability. That is 1 billion people around the world who may be unable to enjoy the privilege of knowing other cultures, experience nature at its fullest and experience the thrill of embarking on a journey to explore new sights.”
“Accessibility for all should be at the center of tourism policies and business strategies not only as a human right, but also as a great market opportunity with the world’s population ageing, all of us will benefit sooner or later from universal accessibility in tourism.”
Attending this year’s local celebration were the STA CEO and other Government CEOs, New Zealand and Australian Government Representatives, Tourism Industry members and distinguished guests.
Entertainment was provided by tourism students of Martin Hautus Institute of Learning Samoa.
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Despite Threats, World Tourism Numbers Hit Record 1.18 Billion In 2015
The number of international tourists rose 4.4 percent worldwide in 2015 to hit a record 1.18 billion despite concerns over terrorism, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said Monday.
Tourism arrivals were up 5 percent in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, but fell 8 percent in North Africa where nations like Tunisia were hit by terrorist attacks, it said in a statement. It is the sixth consecutive year of above average growth in global tourism since the 2009 economic crisis, the Madrid-based body said. The UNWTO had predicted international tourism arrivals would increase by 3-4 percent in 2015, after expanding 4.7 percent the previous year. Global tourism figures were hard hit by the global financial crisis, declining 4 percent in 2009 – as an outbreak of swine flu also contributed to cash-strapped people staying at home – but have risen in each year since.
A rise of 3.1 percent was also reported for the Middle East, in which the number of tourists has been rising since 2014.
Tunisia's tourism industry was badly shaken in March by an attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, followed by one in June in the resort of Sousse were 59 tourists were gunned down in cold blood. These attacks and others in the region came as North African and Middle Eastern countries struggle to regain the trust of vacationers scared off by the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region in 2011. "We are facing now a global threat," UNWTO Director Taleb Rifai told a press conference before appealing for governments to do all they can to boost security.
"We can see that many factors like changes in oil prices and crises in different parts of the world have affected the tourist numbers of 2015. As tourism's development is largely connected with security, we should not let fear and panic rule over us. We should continue travelling. Security is only the issue of Egypt, France, Thailand, Indonesia or Turkey, which have faced terrorist attacks in the recent period. This is an issue for all countries and it should be handled globally," Rifai said.
UNWTO predicts international tourism arrivals will increase 4 percent during this year.
Tourism arrivals were up 5 percent in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, but fell 8 percent in North Africa where nations like Tunisia were hit by terrorist attacks, it said in a statement. It is the sixth consecutive year of above average growth in global tourism since the 2009 economic crisis, the Madrid-based body said. The UNWTO had predicted international tourism arrivals would increase by 3-4 percent in 2015, after expanding 4.7 percent the previous year. Global tourism figures were hard hit by the global financial crisis, declining 4 percent in 2009 – as an outbreak of swine flu also contributed to cash-strapped people staying at home – but have risen in each year since.
A rise of 3.1 percent was also reported for the Middle East, in which the number of tourists has been rising since 2014.
Tunisia's tourism industry was badly shaken in March by an attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, followed by one in June in the resort of Sousse were 59 tourists were gunned down in cold blood. These attacks and others in the region came as North African and Middle Eastern countries struggle to regain the trust of vacationers scared off by the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region in 2011. "We are facing now a global threat," UNWTO Director Taleb Rifai told a press conference before appealing for governments to do all they can to boost security.
"We can see that many factors like changes in oil prices and crises in different parts of the world have affected the tourist numbers of 2015. As tourism's development is largely connected with security, we should not let fear and panic rule over us. We should continue travelling. Security is only the issue of Egypt, France, Thailand, Indonesia or Turkey, which have faced terrorist attacks in the recent period. This is an issue for all countries and it should be handled globally," Rifai said.
UNWTO predicts international tourism arrivals will increase 4 percent during this year.
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