Philippines seeks to host UNWTO General Assembly in 2021
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is seeking the support of tourism leaders in the East Asia region as it aims to host the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2021.
“Our interest in hosting this significant gathering is rooted in the Philippines’ quest for a more sustainable and inclusive tourism industry,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said during the 31st Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia in Bhutan.
The UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. The Philippines is among its 158 member-states.
“We firmly believe that the general assembly, especially one that is hosted in the Philippines, as a venue of international exchange and potent action can spear the global tourism industry into a more sustainable tomorrow, a better tomorrow,” Puyat said.
She first announced the country’s bid to host the 2021 UNWTO general assembly during the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit 2019 held in Cebu.
She also said the country is seeking to host the World Travel and Tourism Global Summit in the same year.
“The PATA Annual Summit is one of the best places to stay abreast with our peers in tourism, to get on the same page and to inform ourselves with the latest analyses of this dynamic and multi-faceted industry,” Puyat earlier said.
The event gathered close to 400 international and local tourism stakeholders including international thought leaders, tourism board officials, industry shapers, travel and tour operators and the academe.
The summit featured multiple insight presentations, panel discussions, committee meetings and a youth symposium with discussions on sustainable destination branding, mainstreaming sustainable tourism global economy, current and future state of Asia Pacific tourism, facts and figures of the regional travel industry, data and insights for responsible development and the sustainability of the Air-bnb accommodation industry.
