MADRID, 2015-3-4 — /Travel PR News/ — UNWTO is appalled by the systematic destruction of cultural and religious artefacts in Syria and Iraq, the last of which in the Mosul Museum in Iraq. On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO joins UNESCO in urging immediate action to safeguard the world’s cultural heritage. “As stated… Read the full press release
MADRID, 2015-3-4 — /Travel PR News/ — Wildlife watching tourism is one of the most important tourism segments in Africa, according to new UNWTO research released on the occasion of World Wildlife Day. In view of tourism’s potential in advancing inclusive growthacross the continent, poaching and illicit trade in wildlife pose a serious threat to… Read the full press release
MADRID, 2015-3-4 — /Travel PR News/ — In his ITB 2015 opening address, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai highlighted how new technologies are changing society and shaping the tourism sector, shifting power from governments and companies to citizens and consumers. Rifai recalled that with power comes responsibility and highlighted tourism´s capacity to overcome prejudice in an… Read the full press release
MADRID, 2015-3-2 — /Travel PR News/ — The new UNWTO report Hotel Classification Systems: Recurrence of Criteria in 4 and 5 Star Hotels, identifies the common criteria among 4 and 5 star hotels, providing valuable insights for destinations wishing to revise existing or establish new hotel classification systems. Benchmarking international accommodation standards can help destinations… Read the full press release
MADRID, 2015-1-21 — /Travel PR News/ — Models of sustainable tourism production and consumption, the role of technology in accessible tourism for all, the future of tourism in the Middle East and North Africa, tourism investment in Africa and shopping tourism are among the many topics to be addressed at UNWTO activities during the International… Read the full press release
BANGKOK, 2014-12-22 — /Travel PR News/ — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to be a supporting partner of the second Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference (PAITC), The event, organised by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and Aboriginal Tourism British Columbia (AtBC), will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia from September 12 -14, 2015…. Read the full press release
Sustainable development of tourism at religious heritage sites was in focus at the International Conference on Religious Heritage and Tourism: Types, trends and challenges, jointly organized by UNWTO, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain and the City Hall of Elche (27-28 November 2014, Elche, Spain). Elche /Madrid, 2014-12-11 — /Travel PR News/ —… Read the full press release
To promote the importance of universal accessibility in tourism, UNWTO and the Government of the Republic of San Marino will jointly organize the First UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe. The Conference will be held in collaboration with Village for All (V4A) and the ONCE Foundation to advance the social inclusion of people with… Read the full press release
During an official visit to Japan, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, highlighted the commitment of the Japanese government to the tourism sector and the positive results of tourism in the country. Mr. Rifai met the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to discuss the strengthening of the relationship between UNWTO and Japan and inaugurated the… Read the full press release
UNWTO commends the measures taken by the Government of Romania to attract more international youth travelers through the country’s first tourism cluster dedicated to young people. MADRID, 2014-10-29 — /Travel PR News/ — The new Youth Tourism Cluster, an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism of Romania, brings together state institutions, private companies and international… Read the full press release
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization dedicated to supporting countries’ efforts to adopt renewable energy, and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations specialized agency for tourism, have joined forces to promote the use of renewable energies in Islands. MADRID, 2014-9-2 — /Travel PR News/ — In a Joint Statement on Renewable Energy… Read the full press release
Madrid, 2014-8-5 — /Travel PR News/ — UNWTO has opened the call for applications for the 11th edition of the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism. Interested candidates can apply until the 31 October 2014. The Award Ceremony will be held during the Madrid International Tourism Trade Fair FITUR in Spain on 28 January 2015. The… Read the full press release
Madrid, 2014-7-24 — /Travel PR News/ — Disseminating tourism knowledge, enhancing the expertise on tourism and climate change and advancing sustainable tourism in Asia and the Pacific are some of the areas of cooperation agreed between the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and UNWTO (Madrid, Spain, 21 July 2014). The cooperation agreement was signed by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and the… Read the full press release
Addis Abeba/Madrid, 2014-7-24 — /Travel PR News/ — During an official visit to Ethiopia, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, met with President Mulatu Teshome, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, and Minister of Culture & Tourism,Amin Abdulkadir, to address the advancement of tourism in Ethiopia and the key role of the sector in the country’s socio-economic development. (Addis Abeba,… Read the full press release
Madrid, 2014-6-12 — /Travel PR News/ — Advancing innovation and talent development in tourism and air travel is the core component of the first Memorandum of Understanding signed between UNWTO and The International Air Transport Association (IATA). The MOU is part of the objectives set by both organizations of bringing the tourism and air transport agendas… Read the full press release
Bohol/Madrid, 2014-6-3 — /Travel PR News/ — During a recent visit to the Philippines, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai visited the Bohol province to review the recovery progress following the 2013 earthquake and deliver a recovery plan for the region’s tourism sector. The Bohol Tourism Recovery Plan is a roadmap to support the recovery of Bohol’s tourism… Read the full press release
Berlin/Madrid, 2014-03-11 — /Travel PR News/ — UNWTO, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and African Tourism Ministers have committed toadvancing the tourism sector’s support in the global fight against the surge in poaching that is threatening one of Africa’s main tourism resources – its unique wildlife and biodiversity. (ITB Berlin, Germany, 6 March 2014). In a… Read the full press release
Seattle, WA, 2014-03-11 — /Travel PR News/ — The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) signed a new partnership agreement March 7, 2014, during Corporate Social Responsibility Day at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair. At the crux of the agreement are precedent-setting initiatives dedicated to enhancing the understanding of and professionalization of the… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2014-2-28 — /Travel PR News/ — UNWTO is supporting Qatar to implement its new tourism strategy through collaboration in the areas of legislation, institutional strengthening, statistics, marketing and capacity building. During an official visit to the country, where he met H.E. Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar and attended the… Read the full press release
MADRID, Spain, 2014-2-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — The launch of an international campaign against trafficking, the 4th Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting dedicated this year to visa facilitation and the meeting of World Tourism Network on Child Protection, are among UNWTO’s activities during the ITB Travel Trade Show 2014 (Berlin, Germany, 5-9 March, 2014). 4th Silk Road Ministers’ Meeting on Visa Facilitation… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2014-2-14 — /travelprnews.com/ — The UNWTO Secretary-General concluded a 5-day trip to Australia where he met with federal and state government officials as well as main private sector associations and UNWTO Affiliate Members. During his visit, Mr. Rifai underscored the progress made by Australia in converging with UNWTO’s main policy recommendations: supporting travel facilitation, intelligent… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2014-1-20 — /travelprnews.com/ — International tourist arrivals grew by 5% in 2013, reaching a record 1,087 million arrivals, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Despite global economic challenges, international tourism results were well above expectations, with an additional 52 million international tourists travelling the world in 2013. For 2014, UNWTO forecasts 4% to… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2014-1-17 — /travelprnews.com/ — The presentation of the 2013 UNWTO Awards, a Ministerial Debate on the future of tourism in the Middle East and North Africa and a business-to-business event connecting African tourism companies with Spanish and Portuguese counterparts are among the many UNWTO activities planned for the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR (Madrid, Spain,… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2014-1-6 — /travelprnews.com/ — Sustainable tourism is an ally of poverty eradication in Central America and the three dimensions of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental – as reflected in the UN resolution on “Sustainable tourism and sustainable development in Central America”. The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted the resolution unanimously during its… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2013-12-13 — /travelprnews.com/ — In the first nine months of 2013, international tourism grew by 5% according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. The number of international tourist arrivals reported by destinations around the world increased by some 41 million between January and September, growing above UNWTO’s initial forecast and creating an important stimulus to… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2013-12-07 — /travelprnews.com/ — Seventeen of Portugal´s foremost tourism associations have signed the Private Sector Commitment to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, pledging to implement the ethical principles of the Code in their policies and operations. The signing took place coinciding with the 3rd UNWTO International Conference of Tourism and the Media (Estoril,… Read the full press release
UNWTO and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) forged a new cooperation agreement consolidating efforts on sustainable tourism and the protection of natural and cultural heritage (26 November 2013, New York, USA). Madrid, Spain, 2013-11-29 — /travelprnews.com/ — Under the Memorandum of Understanding, signed by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai and UNESCO Director General, Irina Bokova, in… Read the full press release
Madrid, Spain, 2013-11-18 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Prime Minister of Laos, Thongsing Thammavong, acknowledged tourism as central to the agenda of the government of Laos when accepting the UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism from UNWTO Secretary-General, in support of mainstreaming the sector in the national and international agendas. Prime Minister Thammavong said, “Tourism development is… Read the full press release
Cebu, Philippines, 2013-11-8 — /travelprnews.com/ — The 5th World Ecotourism Conference – “Marine and Coastal Ecotourism: Oceans of Uncertainties, Waves of Opportunities” will be organised jointly by the Department of Tourism of the Philippines andDiscoveryMice, in collaboration with UNWTO in Cebu City, Philippines from 13 to 15 November, 2013. Objectives of the 5th World Ecotourism Conference A key objective of the World Ecotourism Conference… Read the full press release
London, United Kingdom, 2013-11-8 — /travelprnews.com/ — Improving air connectivity through a closer coordination of tourism and aviation policies to ensure the sustained growth of the tourism sector and of air transport was the commitment stemming from the annual UNWTO & World Travel Market (WTM) Ministers´ Summit (London, United Kingdom, 5 November 2013). Critical issues related to… Read the full press release