UNWTO General Assembly Encourages World Leaders to Look to Travel and Tourism
October 9, 2009
Nearly 700 delegates representing 140 countries meet this week in Astana, Kazakhstan, for the 18th session of the UNWTO General Assembly. During the meeting, delegates called on world leaders to include travel and tourism into economic stimulus packages. Endorsing a "Roadmap for Recovery," the plan underscored the enormous importance of the sector for job creation, trade, and development.
The Assembly approved the Roadmap for Recovery to respond to the economic crisis. According to a statement from the UNWTO, the Roadmap is a manifesto that identifies the sector’s importance in global economic resilience, as well as stimulus and transformation to a green economy.
Included in the document are ways the travel and tourism sector can play a role in post-crisis recovery. It calls on world leaders to place tourism and travel at the core of stimulus packages and the long-term green economy transformation. It also sets out a basis for action for governments and the industry to deal with the short- and long-term economic, climate, and poverty challenges in a coherent way. To view the complete statement, click here.
In December of last year, NTA organized a meeting among travel and tourism organizations also recognizing the importance of travel and tourism in jumpstarting the economy. Following a meeting of organizational leaders from 37 entities, the group prepared recommendations on how travel and tourism can contribute by quickly providing new jobs, new income, and new tax revenues. The recommendations were presented to President Obama’s Transition Team. To view those recommendations, click here.
