The 22nd World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly has convened in China. The organisation says five intense days of discussions and meetings in Chengdu will aim to guide the tourism sector and the work of the UNWTO in the coming years. More than 130 member states are represented in the bi-annual meeting. The more than one thousand delegates in attendance are from Full and Associate Member States, representatives from UNWTO affiliate members, and leading companies and associations. WYSE Travel Confederation is an affiliate UNWTO member and WYSE Director General, David Chapman, is in attendance.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said the Assembly is an opportunity for delegates ‘to chart the sector’s course in helping to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Tourism is connected to the entire agenda.’ 2017 is the UN International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, said, “The International Year of Sustainable Tourism has provided us with the platform to reinforce consensus tourism brings to our societies, not only as a driver of economic development and peace, but also for its impact on the environment and on cultural preservation. We also see that, more and more, governments and administrations across the world are prioritizing tourism to transform their countries for the better.”
UNWTO recently published a free downloadable report on global sustainable tourism. The “Manila Call for Action on Measuring Sustainable Tourism” represents a global commitment to sustainable tourism and the need to measure it through a consistent statistical approach, recognizing that effective sustainable tourism policies require an integrated, coherent and robust information base. Download the free report.