The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has identified five priorities for governments and private sectors to focus on to restore tourism globally.
The priorities, highlighted in a brief authored by UNWTO, were presented by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. The brief stressed that tourism was an essential pillar of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the most vulnerable nations are at greatest risk.
“The United Nations Secretary-General echoes the five key priority areas that UNWTO has identified for tourism to return and drive wider recovery, and both governments and the private sector now have a duty to put this plan into action,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
In addition, the brief stresses that this crisis represents an opportunity to rethink tourism, including how it contributes to the SDGs. To this end, it provided five priorities for the restart of tourism.
- Mitigate socio-economic impacts on livelihoods, particularly women’s employment and economic security.
- Boost competitiveness and build resilience, including through economic diversification and encouragement of micro, small and medium-sized businesses.
- Advance innovation and digital transformation of tourism
- Foster sustainability and green growth
- Enhanced focus on co-ordination and responsible leadership
The brief noted that women, youth and workers in the informal economy were most at risk of job losses and business closures across the tourism sector. At the same time, destinations most reliant on tourism for jobs and economic growth were likely to be hardest hit, including through an anticipated fall in foreign direct investment.
“It is imperative that we rebuild the tourism sector in a safe, equitable and climate-friendly manner and so ensure tourism regains its position as a provider of decent jobs, stable incomes and the protection of our cultural and natural heritage,” said Guterres.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSum49kPqJs&feature=emb_title
