• Strengthens Cooperation Around Tourism Investments
Towards promoting closer links between governments and tourism’s private sector globally, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Global Tourism Economic Forum (GTEF) have outlined their plans for stronger and closer collaboration.
Building on the success of the first Forum held in 2012, UNWTO and GTEF have announced plans for a revamped and enhanced annual Forum to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the event in Macau, China (21 September). The location of subsequent Forums will alternate between Macau and a different host country, to be jointly selected by UNWTO and GTEF.
The 10th edition of GTEF will be held around the theme of Destination 2030: Unlocking Tourism for Business and Development. It will bring together Governments as well as leaders from across the public and private sectors to further establish the Forum as the premier annual event for public-private partnerships and tourism for business growth and development.
Announcing the plans in Lisbon Portugal, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “UNWTO is proud to work with GTEF to unite governments and private sector leaders and address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our sector today. We look forward to building on our successful partnership in 2023 and beyond.”
Vice Chairman and Secretary-General, GTEF, Pansy Ho said: “In response to China’s policies in supporting enterprises to ‘go global’, we will stage the GTEF, an international platform, overseas every other year. Looking forward to the future, we believe that Mainland China, Macao, and even the world can benefit from the event.”
Also in Lisbon, UNWTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC), the coordinator of GTEF, to work together to identify areas of future cooperation.
Joining UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili for the announcement were Chief Executive of Macao SAR Ho Iat Seng; Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Portuguese Republic, Zhao Bentang, and Secretary of State for Tourism, Trade and Services, Portugal, Nuno Fazenda.
Meanwhile, to enhance effectiveness of investment in the tourism sector with the aim of supporting and accelerating the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNWTO has joined the World Investment for Development Alliance (WIDA), a global platform dedicated to promoting inclusive investment for sustainable development through an open and structured network of multiple organisations drawn from the investment-for-development community.
This is to further advance its focus on investments in a more resilient and sustainable tourism by strengthening its cooperation with both the international community and with the private sector.
Remarking on this alliance, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Investment is the missing ingredient for turning our shared plans for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector into reality. UNWTO is proud to join the World Investment for Development Alliance and we look forward to working together to re-think and transform investments into tourism.”
On his part, WIDA Chair, James Zhan said WIDA fully recognises that UNWTO has been playing a leading role in promoting investment in tourism for sustainable development and inclusive growth.
It believes that UNWTO shares the same values as WIDA and can make a significant contribution to their common causes. The alliance is also tilted towards boosting post-pandemic investments as a result of the dramatically dropped investment in the tourism sector. In this regard, UNWTO will hold this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) on September 27, 2022 around the theme of ‘Green Investments’.
According to Pololikashvili, enhanced cooperation with private sector stakeholders will be vital for both boosting investment levels and for directing funding to projects centred on sustainability.
Pololikashvili also announced that UNWTO has confirmed a new alliance with the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), an independent international organisation fully committed to empower the world’s economy by boosting effective promotion strategies and facilitating opportunities for economic productivity and expansion.
“We consider this collaboration as mutually beneficial, as we recognise the significant contributions that can be made by the private sector to our organisation’s strategic objectives.”
In line with the Organisations’ commitment to cooperate in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), UNWTO will spearhead the “Tourism Investment Segment”, an official side event of the upcoming Annual Investment Meeting, to be held on May 8-10 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Remarking, AIM President Dawood Al Shezawi said: “It has been AIM’s mission to provide an interactive platform where investment opportunities can be formed, thereby not only strengthening economic relations among nations but also addressing issues that have profound effects on a global scale. We also want to provide a platform where the brightest minds, from all sectors, can converge to find solutions and scale up development ideas. We welcome this great chance to cooperate with the UNWTO and we are certain that this collaboration will be fruitful.”
