While the decision of the Spanish Government to implement a series of austerity measures to address the public deficit is fully understandable, UNWTO expressed great concern that such measures have translated into the end of a separate Secretariat for Tourism. This decision sends out the wrong message to the market and comes at a critical moment, at the beginning of the tourism high season and as the sector still struggles to recover from the loses of 2009.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, met with the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Haris Silajdzic, to discuss tourism development in the country during an official visit (12-14 July, 2010) described as the start of a new phase of cooperation between UNWTO and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr Rifai encouraged the country to make the utmost use of the Organization in the development of its tourism industry.

Statement of Intent to outline the future direction of the travel and tourism industry.

The combination of a dynamic private sector and strong political support of tourism has been instrumental in the way Australia has driven tourism as a motor of socio-economic development. This was the message taken by Taleb Rifai on his first visit as UNWTO Secretary-General to Australia.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) have conveyed their strong support of Thailand and its tourism industry as the country returns to normalcy following political unrest earlier in the year. Attending a Special Meeting on International Solidarity with Thai Tourism, both parties commended the recovery measures undertaken by the Thai Government and the collaboration of the Thai private sector to support tourism in the country and expressed the unwavering solidarity of the international tourism community.

UNWTO welcomes that several countries have recently placed tourism higher on their national political and economic agendas. Argentina is the most recent example with the establishment of the first Argentinean Ministry of Tourism. The move represents a further step towards mainstreaming tourism as an industry that delivers on economic growth, job creation and sustainable development.

International tourist arrivals grew by 7% in the first four months of 2010 according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This growth confirms the recovery trend beginning in the last quarter of 2009 and comes despite the challenging conditions of recent months. While April’s results were affected by the week-long closure of European airspace, globally the pace of recovery is faster than initially expected, driven largely by emerging markets. For the full year 2010, UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow by 3% to 4%.

Since the last meeting of the UNWTO Executive Council, in October 2009, global economic prospects have improved steadily, with tourism demand also regaining momentum. Held directly following the UNWTO Commission for the Americas, the 88th Session of the Executive Council was an opportunity for UNWTO Members to reflect on the future challenges facing the tourism industry and how the Organization can more effectively address them (Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, 6-8 June 2010).

The President of Uruguay, H.E. José Mujica, has highlighted the enormous potential of the tourism sector to stimulate growth and development. Meeting during an official visit to the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo, the UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai stressed that Uruguay is a leading example in the sector.

UNWTO welcomes the return to stability in Thailand, as reflected in a recent Statement of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand announcing that “political unrest has been brought under control and order in the capital of Bangkok and the provinces of Thailand has been restored”. UNWTO is supporting and working closely with the Thai Government in the process of recovering the country’s tourism industry and will join the integrated efforts of national agencies and the private sector to continue making Thailand one of the major tourism destinations worldwide. 

Hosted by the Municipality of Shiraz and the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, the 5th Silk Road Mayors Forum closed on 20th May with agreement on the Shiraz Declaration.

UNWTO has called for the industry to show its solidarity with Greece at this difficult moment, underlying that tourism is a key sector for the Hellenic country and can be part of the solution in the process of economic recovery.

The President of the Dominican Republic, H.E. Leonel Fernández, visited the UNWTO Headquarters where he expressed his firm belief in the social and economic contribution of tourism to sustainable development. This is the first visit of a President of the Dominican Republic to the Organization.

While growth is returning to international tourism, led to a large extent by Asia and the Pacific, public and private bodies in the region must continue to work together on responses to the crisis to ensure a sustained recovery.

Meeting with the President of Tajikistan, H.E: Emomali Rahmon, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, underlined the importance of regional cooperation in the growth and development of national economies.  Referring to the UNWTO Silk Road Project, a long-term initiative to harness the tourism potential of the ancient Silk Road, Mr. Rifai called for the continued collaboration of all participating countries. The meeting was held in the framework of the Secretary-General’s first official visit to Tajikistan (3-6 May 2010), a UNWTO member state since 2007.

International tourism is steadily gaining momentum following an extremely challenging 2009. International tourist arrivals grew by 7% in the first two months of 2010 worldwide, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Growth was particularly strong in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow by 3% to 4% in 2010.

Millions of people inside and outside Europe have been affected by the current air traffic disruption in European airspace. Many travellers are stranded and airlines, airports, hotels, travel agencies and tour operators, as well as local tourism authorities and diplomatic representations are facing extreme challenges to provide assistance, and safeguard the rights and wellbeing of travellers.

Highlighting the importance of tourism in today’s global and national agendas is still an ongoing challenge. UNWTO welcomes that tourism’s proven contribution to economic growth, job creation and sustainable development is gaining increasing political recognition. In this regard, recent developments in the European Union (EU) acknowledging tourism’s significance to Europe’s socio-economic growth were welcomed by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, speaking at the European Tourism Stakeholders Conference (Madrid, Spain, 14-15 April 2010).

On March 11, 2010, the ST-EP Foundation, the Netherlands Development Organisation SNV and UNWTO jointly organized a ST-EP Forum in Berlin. The Forum took place within the framework of ITB Berlin, and was attended by professionals from National and Local Tourism Authorities, tourism enterprises, NGO’s, development organisations, and research institutions.

2010 is expected to be a year of transformation. The challenges facing the tourism sector in a post-crisis scenario set the framework for the activities and events organized by UNWTO during this year’s ITB Travel Trade Show (Berlin, Germany, 10-14 March 2010).

South Africa as host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup set the ideal stage for UNWTO/South Africa inaugural Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega Events (Johannesburg, 24-26 February). The summit, attended by some 450 delegates, from 35 countries, provided a first-of-its-kind platform for best practice and knowledge sharing towards mega-events excellence.

In a letter to the Chilean tourism authorities, the UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, conveyed the Organization’s “solidarity with the people of Chile” after the earthquake that hit Chile on 27 February.

UNWTO welcomes the outcome of the First T.20 Ministers’ Meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa (22-24 February) to debate the contribution of tourism to the global agenda, in particular to the ongoing process of supporting economic recovery and the transformation towards a greener and more sustainable economy.