UNWTO General Assembly welcomes more than delegates to Chengdu

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1 UNWTO General Assembly welcomes more than delegates to Chengdu Five intense days of discussions and meetings in Chengdu will aim to guide the tourism sector and the work of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the coming years. The 22nd session of this biannual UNWTO meeting is attended by more than 1,300 delegates from Full and Associate Member States, representatives The 22nd session is the second UNWTO General Assembly conducted in China and the sixth in the Asia and the Message on the 22nd Session of the World Tourism Organization General Assembly Your Assembly is also an opportunity to chart the sector s course in helping to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Welcome by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai The Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai, welcomes delegates attending the General on the challenges ahead for tourism. Interview with CNTA Chairman Li Jinzao Tourism is much more than economic development, says the Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. In an interview with GA Daily, he explains the secret to China becoming the world s largest outbound tourism market. The tourism sector - set for its eighth straight year of sustained growth With a growth of 6% in international arrivals of the year, 2017 is set to be the eighth consecutive year of sustained growth for international tourism. READ MORE READ MORE READ MORE READ MORE

2 O F F I C I A L M E S S A G E Message on the 22nd Session of the World Tourism Organization General Assembly By António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General It is a pleasure to greet the global tourism community at the 22nd General Assembly session of the World Tourism Organization. Rifai for his leadership. You gather during the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, as designated by the United Nations General Assembly. This observance aims to raise the international development community. Your Assembly is also an opportunity to chart the sector s course in helping to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Tourism is connected to the entire agenda, yet we still have to fully harness its power to be a transformative force for economies, societies and planet. Your Assembly is also an opportunity to chart the sector s course in helping to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development In this landmark year for tourism, I encourage you to do your utmost towards making tourism a pillar in every nation s agenda for sustainable, inclusive, equitable and prosperous development.

3 E D I T O R I A L The tourism community, more united than ever By Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General tourism brings to our societies, not only as a driver of economic development and peace, but also for its impact on the environment and on cultural preservation. We also see that, more and more, governments and administrations across the world are prioritizing tourism to transform their countries for the better. In the days to come we will be discussing the priorities and work plan of our Organization to ensure that tourism can amidst the challenges ahead. We wish you a fruitful and intense week! With this conviction we start this 22nd session of our General Assembly. Despite the challenges that our sector has been facing in recent years we are more committed than ever to work closer together to make it a pillar of a better future for people and planet. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development that we are celebrating globally throughout 2017 has provided us with the platform to reinforce this consensus, which is so important for us to position the tourism sector in the global agenda. We know that it has not been an easy path. Safety and security challenges and issues arising from the impact of technology and transformative business models add to the pressing need to make our sector more competitive and sustainable. But in the face of those, a stronger, more responsible and more united tourism community has emerged. We are more determined than The International Year of Sustainable Tourism has provided us with the platform to reinforce consensus

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5 ARTICLE 2017 set to become the eighth year of solid growth in the tourism sector international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 6% compared to the same period last year. 598 million international tourists, 36 million more than in the same period of 2016, traveled to other an increase of 6% compared to the same months of the previous year, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. International arrivals reported by destinations around the world were positive overall, with very few exceptions. Most of 2016 s strong performers maintained momentum, while destinations that struggled in previous years part of This is especially the Middle East (+10%), Africa (+8%) and Europe (+8%). Asia Americas (+3%) continued to enjoy robust growth. by negative events during 2016 are showing clear signs of recovery over a very short period of time. This is very welcoming news for all, but particularly for those whose livelihoods depend on tourism in these destinations, Taleb Rifai. Most of 2016 s strong performers maintained momentum, while destinations that struggled in previous years continued to part of 2017 >>

6 Regional Results International arrivals in Europe (+8%) returned to some destinations that were impacted by security incidents, while others continued to grow strongly. Results improved particularly in Southern Mediterranean Europe (+12% as compared to +1% in 2016) and Western Europe (+6% as opposed to +0% in 2016). Northern Europe (+8%) continued to record strong growth, while Central and Eastern Europe recorded 2% more international arrivals, in line with results of last year. arrivals were up 6% through June with sound results across all four subregions. South Asia (+12%) led growth, followed by Oceania (+8%), Asia (+4%). International arrivals in the Americas were up 3% with strong results in South America and Central America (both +7%), while arrivals in North America grew by 2% and in the Caribbean by 2%. Limited data available for Africa points to an 8% increase in international arrivals, with North Africa (+17%) recovering strongly. International arrivals in the Middle East rebounded by an estimated 10% following a 3% decline in 2016.

7 ARTICLE Chengdu, an ideal host for the UNWTO General Assembly Tradition, gastronomy, culture and nature, alongside the smiling faces of pandas: Chengdu comprises that which makes a destination unique. China could not have selected a better host for the General Assembly. Chengdu is a city where tradition meets fashion, culture shines with nature and delicious food is accompanied by giant pandas. Chengdu has been awarded the Best Chinese City for Tourism by China National Tourism Administration and UNWTO, and has been topping the list of consecutive years. Located in Southwest China, Chengdu has been home to civilization for more than 4,500 years and was established as a city 2,300 years ago. Over time, its increasing occupation and relevance has given birth to a unique Chengdu culture of creativity, innovation, elegance, optimism, tolerance, openness and generosity. Chengdu has also been called the Land of Abundance as it is one of the centres of China s food production. The city hosts the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Mount Qingcheng, both on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is a phenomenal place to appreciate giant pandas. The Base has developed from initially housing six pandas to currently containing 176. Right in the heart of the bustling city, people can enjoy the marvelous that are 7000 meters above sea level. Chengdu is stepping up famous cultural city and tourism destination with international Currently, Chengdu has 102 of Tianfu International Airport, Chengdu will be the third city in China to own twin international airports. Chengdu has established economic ties with 228 countries or regions globally. 278 Fortune 500 enterprises have 16 consulates have stationed in the city. Chengdu has formed sister city relations with 33 cities in the world. Chengdu is also a city of exhibitions, having hosted the Fortune Global Forum, a G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, and many other international events. Now, Chengdu is accelerating construction of its national central city, which will become a comprehensive international hub of transport and communication and Southwest China s centre of economic development, science innovation, and foreign exchange. Located in Southwest China, Chengdu has been home for civilization for more than 4,500 years and was established as a city 2,300 years ago. >>

8 Tourism, a leading force to preserve wildlife The land of Buddhist caves and sacred mountains, Sichuan is also home of 80% of the nearly 2000 Giant Pandas in the world, one of the endangered species and a symbol of conservation and of cultural identity. After years of rescue that the panda has been upgraded from endangered to vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species managed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This is one of the best pieces of news that China, and particularly Sichuan, could receive, as the panda had been listed as endangered since The country has 67 panda reserves, equivalent to 14,000 square kilometres, a number that has been progressively increasing in the last decades and will continue growing in the coming years. Chinese authorities have recently announced the creation of a Giant Panda National Park spanning three provinces (Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan) that will be three times the size of Yellowstone in the USA.

9 ARTICLE China: tourism as a national priority With double-digit growth in the last years, China continues to be not only a world leader in tourism, but also an inspiring model of how to capitalize upon the impact of the sector in areas such as poverty reduction and rural development. Besides hosting the UNWTO First World Conference on Tourism for Development last year in Beijing, China has developed a number of other measures to prioritize the sector as a poverty alleviation tool. Just before the aforementioned conference, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the State Council Leading Alleviation and Development of China decided to promote rural Rifai at the time, we are carrying strong momentum to underline the potential of tourism as a tool to contribute to rural development and to alleviate poverty. The data we have from the Chinese tourism authorities, demonstrating that between 2011 and 2014 only, more than 10 million people 10% of China s impoverished population were lifted out of poverty through tourism, illustrates the important contribution of tourism to fostering local development. The positive impact of tourism was behind the decision of Chinese Year Plan for the Development of the Tourism Industry, a nationwide plan to lift 17% of the country s impoverished population out of poverty through tourism by According to this plan, the CNTA and the State Council Leading and Development of China expect that by 2020, 3 million rural tourism businesses will receive 2 billion annual visitors, lifting 2 million of China s rural population out of poverty every year. The total income generated is estimated to reach over 1 trillion RMB Yuan, As we look for new drivers of growth, tourism has a very important role to play, not only for its direct impact but also for the value it adds to other sectors. Premier Li Keqiang, First World Conference on Tourism for Development, May 2016 As we look for new drivers of growth, tourism has a very important role to play, not only for its direct impact but also for the value it adds to other sectors. Premier Li Keqiang, First World Conference on Tourism for Development, May 2016

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11 INTERVIEW TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINESE NATIONAL TOURISM ADMINISTRATION, LI JINZAO Tourism not only drives economic development, but also impacts upon people s happiness, livelihoods and quality of life UNWTO GA Daily has spoken to the Chairman of the Chinese National Tourism Administration, Li Jinzao. Q. China has become one of the leading tourism destinations in the world in recent years. What are the prospects for the future of the sector in China and the main objectives set for tourism? A. China s tourism sector had a relatively late start and a weak foundation. Yet due to over 30 years of hard work since the reform of its tourism sector, China has become the world s biggest outbound tourism international destination, with the biggest domestic tourism market. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2016 tourism made a contribution of 11% to China s national economy and of some 10.3% to social employment. Tourism plays a big role in, and greatly impacts upon, China s socioeconomic development and enables China to exert more stage. China has now entered the era of mass tourism; its tourism sector is unleashing larger potential and has much room for further development. As China continuously promotes tourism products and services its tourism sector will keep being enhanced. China vows to turn itself into a world tourism power by 2040 through the strategy: step one, change from an extensive tourism country to a relatively intensive tourism become an intensive tourism three, become a highly intensive Q. We always highlight that tourism is much more than economic development. In your opinion, what are the A. Tourism not only drives economic development, but also highly impacts upon people s happiness, livelihoods and quality of life. It is highly inclusive and has many socioeconomic people s knowledge, experience, personal development and empowerment, but also alleviating poverty, promoting employment, and increasing income and living standards. It is highly inclusive and has many socioeconomic only enhancing people s knowledge, experience, personal development and empowerment, but also alleviating poverty, promoting employment, and increasing income and living standards. Q. Can you further elaborate the connection of Tourism with Happiness? A. Tourism is a sector of happiness. Travel can enable us to get close to history, culture and nature, ensure good health, relax and meet spiritual needs. Tourism can also be fully integrated with the worlds of culture, education, sports and health to create new business models, and bring happiness to the public in more and better ways. Tourism is a sector of beauty. Through >>

12 Tourism is a sector of beauty. Through travelling, people can discover and enjoy beauty, care for beauty, and enjoy and spread beauty. travelling, people can discover and enjoy beauty, care for beauty, and enjoy and spread beauty. It is also a sector of peace, inspiring communication and friendship between people managed, ethical travel can promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature, along with low resource consumption and sustainable development. In recent years, China has been actively advancing structural reform on the supply side of its tourism sector and giving great development and the tourism+ concept. As a result, tourism has become integrated into China s whole social landscape and is a strategic pillar of the national economy. Q. One of the initiatives in focus at this General Assembly is the Belt and Road Initiative. Can you and impact? A. Four years ago, President Xi Jinping proposed to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Road, collectively named the Belt and Road Initiative. This has since been supported and signed up to by over 100 countries and international organizations. The initiative complies with the interests of the development community and has a promising future. Important resolutions of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Security Council have been included in the creation of the Belt and Road Initiative. Now, the proposal has moved from concept to reality, delivering fruitful outcomes. Policy communication, interconnectivity, trade, investment, and increased contact between people have been promoted between China and Belt and Road countries and organizations. Q. In your opinion, how tourism can enhance higher cooperation? A. Tourism plays a leading role in increasing communication. Many of the cooperation agreements signed between China and over 60 countries and international organizations emphasize the active role of tourism in promoting communication including in connecting people, which is the social foundation of the Belt and Road Initiative. The tourism and strong promotional potential >>

13 make it an important channel for promoting contact between people, as well as economic development, industrial transformation, employment and improved livelihoods along the Belt and Road. China is willing to strengthen tourism cooperation and exchange views on development concepts with Belt and Road countries to promote intercultural communication, people in countries along this route to bond. Q. China has positioned tourism as a pillar of its development. What is your vision of tourism s capacity to contribute to a better world and ensure the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? A. Whilst UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 12 and 14 directly refer to tourism, the sector has a bearing on the entire sustainable development agenda. Tourism can encourage growth, employment, investment, creation of startups, independent and inclusive development of communities, and environment, biodiversity and cultural heritage preservation. To illustrate this, the UN General Assembly has designated the year 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. In 2016, the First World Conference on Tourism for Development was successfully held in Beijing and adopted the Beijing Declaration, a global consensus to promote sustainable tourism development. In this regard China is willing to join hands with other countries, on the principles of openness and innovation, to promote inclusive and sustainable development of tourism, establish a new international relationship centered around cooperation attaining a more peaceful and prosperous world. Whilst UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 12 and 14 directly refer to tourism, the sector has a bearing on the entire sustainable development agenda.

14 REPORT Technical Committees convene ahead of the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly The UNWTO General Assembly, the best framework for the Regional Commission and Committee Meetings Six UNWTO Regional Commissions (Africa, Americas, Europa, Middle East, East Asia and South Asia Satellite Account and Tourism and Competitiveness met ahead of the GA Opening. The 17 SDGs, a roadmap to 2030, the Paris Agreement and the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development provide the perfect context to advance together towards a more sustainable sector, said UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai in the 10th Meeting of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, chaired by Colombia and held in Chengdu in the days prior to the 22nd session of the UNWTO General Assembly. shared news on the advances of the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO). Since its creation in 2004, 18 observatories worldwide have joined the Network: eight in China, one in Greece, one in Mexico, one in Brazil, three in Indonesia, one in Croatia, two in the United States and one in New Zealand. The work of the Sustainable Tourism Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP), led Morocco and the Republic of Korea, was also underlined at the committee meeting. Measuring the full impact of the sector and making informed decisions based on better, reliable and comparable evidence were objectives raised at the 10th Meeting of the Committee on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite

15 Account, chaired by Austria. The Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST) initiative recently launched in the Philippines was underlined. Chaired by Peru, the 6th Meeting of the Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness debated the operational tourism value chain and the list of factors for destination competitiveness, elaborated by the Committee. The expansion of the UNWTO Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories and the Sustainable Tourism Programme of Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns were discussed at the 10th Meeting of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability Assessing the state of knowledge on the basic concept of destination competitiveness helps develop sustainable growth policies, ethics, quality, governance, investment policies, image and local community meeting.

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17 ARTICLE ST-EP Foundation Lunch 2017, the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, is the tourism sector s year to inform and inspire the world around how our sector is working to further global ambitions to ensure no one is left behind, directly supporting the SDGs. The quest to eliminate poverty through the power of tourism does not, however, start now. It actually began in World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, when the UNWTO launched Eliminating Poverty) Initiative. has built up a portfolio of about 120 tourism development projects in 45 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe. Having Foundation Lunch was organized during the General Assembly Initiative and share information on what has been achieved in this period and on the plans and ambitions for the future.

18 ARTICLE discussed the Action Plan for 2018 The Plenary of the UNWTO 10 September ahead of the 22nd General Assembly held in Chengdu, discussed the Action Plan for The Plan includes several actions and events by Members Networks (Gastronomy Network, City Tourism Network, Knowledge Network and Shopping Network). New to the actions of the UNWTO Working Groups on the following themes: Accessible Tourism (at the request of REDESTABLE); Destinations at Stake (at the request of BTW); Meetings Industry (at the request of ICCA and IMEX), Quality in Tourism (at Tourism (at the request of Fundación Starlight), Technology and Tourism (at the request of Google and Kyoto University) and Youth Tourism (at the request of WYSE). All groups will be led by

19 ARTICLE UNWTO Secretary-General talks to the media on the challenges of the sector In a media briefing with journalists attending the General Assembly, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai talked about overcrowding, seasonality and security. More than 250 media outlets, national and international, are covering the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China. Whilst participants arrive, Rifai discussed with media representatives the challenges facing tourism and the capacity of the sector to improve economies and livelihoods. I can go through the big numbers of Chinese tourism, with in the world and 2016 the seventh year of consecutive growth of our sector; but the most important theme underlined in this General Assembly is the power of tourism as a driver of transformative change, said Rifai to the group of journalists. Thanks to tourism, we shorten distances between cultures, we increase awareness to protect the environment, we empower communities and we enhance heritage preservation, among other positive impacts, he said. Asked about the recent protests on a few touristic spots, Rifai mentioned that growth is not the enemy, but the mismanagement of the sector is something that that can diminish its strong potential. Thanks to tourism, we shorten distances between cultures, we increase awareness to protect the environment, we empower communities and we enhance heritage preservation, among other positive impacts

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23 PROGRAMME Daily Programme Wednesday 13 September Time Meeting and Activites Room/Venue Participation Group photo IC Ballroom Invitation only Crystal Ballroom on Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals & Building Partnerships for Development: the Example of the Belt and Road Initiative Crystal Ballroom Media Conference Qinyang Room Invitation only Ministerial Tree Planting Ceremony for the IYSTD2017 Guixi Park East Lunch for Ministers / Heads of delegation Tianfu Room Invitation only Plenary 1 (Agenda Items Crystal Ballroom Credentials Committee Shufeng Room Invitation only 18:00 Presentation of the UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism Qingyang Room Dinner hosted by UnionPay International Tianfu Room Invitation only

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