UNWTO highlights 3 policy reforms to improve tourism sector

MANILA, Philippines - The UN World Trade Organization (UNWTO) has urged its member-coun- tries, including the Philippines, to focus on three critical policy reforms to improve their respective tourism industries.

In his speech during the opening of the ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) 2014 in Berlin, UNWTO Secretary-General Ta- leb Rifai underscored the need to improve travel facilitation considering that about two-thirds of the world ́s population ob- tain a visa before departure.

UNWTO noted that visa facilitation is central to stimulating economic growth and development through tourism.

“Crossing international borders is fundamental to the tourist experience but cost, waiting time and difficulty of obtaining visas deter potential tourists from traveling,” it said.

Joint research by the UNWTO and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) showed that improving visa processes could generate an additional $206 billion in tourism receipts and create as many as 5.1 million jobs by 2015 in the G20 economies.

Rifai also considered air connectivity as another critical area, considering the clear linkages between aviation and tourism. Over 50 percent of the world’s interna- tional tourists reach their destination by air, while many countries still have dis- jointed policies between the two sectors.

The UNWTO official also called for bal- anced taxation policies on tourism.

“These policy areas require for tour- ism to become a national policy and not a sectoral one,” Rifai said, underscoring that cross-cutting government policies and public-private partnerships are the necessary precursor to any sort of tourism development.

“We have before us an opportunity to create new and innovative coalitions for tourism growth; models of cooperation that embrace the tourism public sector and private sectors, but also the civil so- ciety and other players coming from areas such as technology, arts, gastronomy or culture,” he said.

UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of respon- sible, sustainable and universally acces- sible tourism. Its membership includes 156 countries, six associate members and over 400 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institu- tions, tourism associations and local tour- ism authorities.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowl- edge and tourism policies worldwide.

Moreso, UNWTO encourages the im- plementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, to maximize tourism’s socio- economic contribution while minimizing its possible impacts. It is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.

During the same ITB event, Rifai said these challenges should be addressed by the global tourism sector in order to keep advancing as one of the world’s leading eco- nomic activities and one of the few sectors producing positive news around the world.

On the back of better than expected international tourism results in 2013 and the positive expectations for 2014 and beyond, “tourism has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors; a sector that drives global growth and de- velopment, creates millions of jobs, spurs exports and investment and transforms lives,” Rifai said.