SWAZILAND: World Tourism Day - Promoting Universal Accessibility

As Swaziland joins the world to celebrate World Tourism Day with the theme 'Promoting Universal Accessibility' we bring you statements from the Swaziland Minister of Tourism and the UNWTO General Secretary:

Statement by the Swazialnd Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Jabulani C Mabuza (MP)

"Today marks World Tourism Day (WTD), and the Kingdom of Swaziland joins the rest of the world in celebrating friendships and other milestones attributable to the tourism and travel industry, which has been on an upw ard growth route in the last decade.

As tourism remains a vehicle for connecting people to people, the need for enhancing accessibility by all in the industry cannot be overemphasised. In line with this year’s theme for the World Tourism Month: Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility, His Majesty’s government is desirous to see all tourism establishments enhancing their facilities and operations to accommodate all people; young and aged, able-bodied and disabled, locals and visitors.

This theme coincides with our drive to encourage service excellence in the industry, given the forthcoming and inaugural Tekuvakasha Tourism Awards; hence it is fundamental that universal accessibility becomes a priority in ensuring the same.

As we celebrate this day, I would like to challenge the nation to travel more within the country, and engage with our plentiful tourism products – ranging from game to sport, adventure to leisure, culture to cuisine.

Furthermore, there has to been a paradigm shift in mentality on who should travel, and who should not. Tourism for All escalates tourism as an economic activity into a human right issue. Everyone, regardless of physical, social, and economic state, has a right to partake in it. In this regard, the industry players, hopefully, will do all it takes to enhance experiences for everyone.

Once more, I invite everyone to celebrate this glorious day with us and to be a part of the promotion of tourism for all and the development of universal accessibility."

'Tourism for All!' by Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

"Tourism has experienced a revolution in the past 50 years.

In 1950 there were near 25 million international tourists crossing borders in a single year; today there are around 1.2 billion people travelling the world. Travelling has become a huge part of many people’s lives.

When we travel, we come across new people, new sights, and new ideas. Often our perception of the world changes as we see more of it. We definitely become better people.

However, we must not forget that for many of us, travelling can be quite a difficult process.

15% of the world’s population is estimated to live with some kind of disability or another. This is my friends about 1 billion people around the world who may be unable to enjoy the privileges of knowing other cultures, experiencing nature at its fullest and experiencing the thrill of embarking on a journey to explore new sights and new places.

Accessibility for all should be therefore at the heart and at the center of tourism policies and business strategies. Not as a human rights only which is important on its own, but also as a great market potential and as a great business opportunity.

With the world’s population ageing, all of us will benefit sooner or later from universal accessibility in tourism.

As we celebrate World Tourism Day today, let us recall that all of the world’s citizens have the right to experience the incredible diversity of our planet and the beauty of the world we live in.

We thus urge all countries and destinations, as well as all the industry stakeholders, to promote accessibility for all in the physical environment, in the transport systems, in the public facilities and services and in the information and communications channels.

I wish you a very very happy World Tourism Day and a future full of enriching and compelling travel experiences to be enjoyed by all.

THAILAND: Thailand Tourism Authority of Thailand Formulating Ways To Boost Tourism

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has put together a raft of initiatives, including a Situation Monitoring Centre and a We Care Campaign, to ensure the safety of tourists in Thailand and to let people know that the country is still a secure and welcoming destination to visit in the wake of the incidents over the last weekend. A number of special events and festivals are being planned to stimulate future travel and bookings.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, “To boost industry and tourist confidence, TAT is putting initiatives in place to ensure that Thailand’s positive image as a safe and welcoming tourist destination remains intact. TAT is also launching a “We Care” initiative, campaigning for the local communities to pull out the stops when it comes to hosting tourists and to encourage everyone working in the field of tourism to wear special White-Yellow Ribbons – symbols of the peace and unity of the nation. We want to show that Thailand and the Thai people genuinely care for the well-being of all tourists. And we want tourists to know that by visiting Thailand, they’ll make memorable travel memories and enjoy experiences that will entice them to return time after time.”

A Situation Monitoring Centre was opened on 12 August, 2016, to ensure officials have the latest information from TAT local and overseas offices in order to measure the possible impact on the industry, and counter the situation accordingly. The Centre is monitoring local and international news, collecting statistics on tourist arrivals, bookings and cancellations as well as data from airline and tourism-related companies.

Based on reports from TAT offices nationwide, the recent incidents have not massively impacted on domestic tourism as people were determined to enjoy the weekend and the delights of the kingdom. As for inbound tourism, while the international media has been reporting extensively on the explosions over the weekend, the news has only had a slight impact on more sensitive markets. There were very few changes to bookings for the present or near future.

To boost travel and revenue for the rest of the year, TAT is seeking cabinet approval for a special long-holiday weekend in September. As Thailand is hosting this year’s World Tourism Day in Bangkok, TAT has sought an approval for the World Tourism Day (27 September, 2016) to be declared a public holiday in Thailand and the Monday prior (26 September), to be an extra day off. A four-day break would encourage travel and spending nationwide while boosting confidence among travellers.

In addition, TAT is planning to organise a number of mega events and special tourism promotional campaigns to attract local and international visitors. The “Jazz Run Cycling Hua Hin Festival” is scheduled for the first week of September, and will comprise a jazz music festival, a food fair, a marathon, and a cycling event. A major golf tournament will also be played on the town’s famous course, featuring Thailand’s lady golf ambassadors, Ms. Pornanong Phatlum and Ms. Ariya Jutanugarn.

Another large-scale event, the “Magnificent Thailand”, will be held in Bangkok, possibly in Lumphini Park, from 1-7 October, 2016, and will comprise a street food festival, a local food fair, city street light decorations, mapping shows, and a shopping street. Also, there will be an “ExpatFest” held at the end of September to showcase unique Thai culture, traditions, cuisine and tourist attractions to the many expatriates in Thailand, to encourage them to travel more domestically and create buzz among their families and friends overseas that Thailand remains a safe and welcoming tourist destination.

TAT has also scheduled to launch a new domestic tourism promotional campaign to encourage Thai people to travel in Thailand’s Southern regions. Called the “Cross Regional Travel Challenge”, the initiative will start on 1 October, 2016, and will promote the pleasures of the tropical South with its beaches, islands and rainforests.

Also making a return will be the popular “Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor” campaign which rewarded each millionth traveller, who entered the country during June to December, 2015. For this year, there will be exciting prizes laid on for the 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd and 34th millionth visitor to the kingdom.

Mr. Yuthasak concluded, “We believe that all these special measures and initiatives will help stimulate travel during the rest of the year, and allow Thailand to reach the 2016’s revenue target of 2.41 trillion Baht.”

NIGERIA: Tourism Is The Greatest Employer

Director-General Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs Sally Mbanefo, has described tourism as the greatest employer. She said the corporation under her would ensure practical development and promotion of domestic tourism, which will propel job creation, develop the nation’s economy and raise social awareness on cultural preservation and environmental protection.

Mbanefo spoke at this year’s World Tourism Day, with the theme, 1 Billion Tourists, 1 Billion Opportunities, held in Enugu State which underscored the role of tourism sector as a valuable and sustainable source of livelihood for millions of people.

“Nigeria has a better advantage over so many other countries to benefit from tourism. We have the advantage of population. Tourism contributes 10% to the global GDP but as at now, Nigerian is not fully benefiting from tourism like other countries. For instance, 4,333,000 tourism visited Nigeria in 2013, which contributed about 4 per cent to our GDP, while tourism contributes 17.7 per cent to the GDP of Gambia; 13 per cent to Egypt; 12 per cent to Kenya; 11.9 per cent to Mexico; 9 per cent to South Africa, and 6 per cent to Cuba.

“We need to know that Nigeria should focus more on tourism as the best alternative to oil, with domestic tourism as the catalyst. I need to emphasise that Nigeria has the best of the ingredient of tourism. We have fascinating tourist sites, enviable cultural festivals, good weather, good and hospitable people. Have you ever wondered why most diplomats, after serving their terms chose to stay back in Nigeria? It is because of the warmth and friendliness of our people, environment and potentials,” she said.

Mbanefo, who emphasised that the potential of tourism in Nigeria is N4billion prayed that government should take privatisation to the next level, which according to her will facilitate further facilitate an enabling environment for tourism to thrive in Nigeria.

The NTDC boss lauded the Enugu State government for making tourism alive in the state, describing the state as a hub of eco-tourism.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Mrs Nkechi Ejele, described tourism as the way forward for Nigeria. She noted that the Ministry is, on a daily basis, intensifying efforts at ensuring the money spinning sector is well developed and promoted in Nigeria, to ensure Nigerians, among the people of other countries, maximally benefit from the potentials of tourism.

The Group Managing Director, Viko Nigeria Group of Companies Limited, Mr Lucky Kanu, expressed the readiness of his company to further support NTDC in promoting domestic tourism, thereby creating more jobs and wealth in Nigeria.

“Our partnership with NTDC could be best described as demonstration of a successful practice of public private partnership in Nigeria, as the partnership has yielded opening of information desks in about six states in Nigeria, while we are working on a new project that will create over 500,000 jobs for the youth in every state of Nigeria,” Kanu said.