SOSTENIBILITÀ, TURISMO E BENI CULTURALI. LA VIA ITALIANA Roma, 14 giugno Institutional welcome by Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General

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1 1 SOSTENIBILITÀ, TURISMO E BENI CULTURALI. LA VIA ITALIANA Roma, 14 giugno 2017 Institutional welcome by Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General Minister Franceschini Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends, Buongiorno. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said: Italy, and the spring and first love all together, should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy. We are all very privileged to be here today! Dear Friends, We are living in the age of travel. Last year, in one single year, 1235 million travelers crossed international borders. Almost 1/6 of the people of the world make an international trip every year. Italy, the 5th most visited destination in the world, alone received 52 million international tourists in In travelling, we are:

2 2 1. bringing tremendous benefits to communities, economies and societies 2. generating $ 3.2 billion of spending every day globally 3. creating 1/10 jobs all over the world 4. representing 10% of world GDP 5. representing 30% of world trade in services Travel and tourism is today the 3rd largest export industry in the world after chemicals and fuels. By 2030 UNWTO forecasts 1.8 billion international travelers crossing borders in a single year. I am, therefore, sure that in 40, 50, 60 years from now, future generations will look back at our time and say: "that was the Age of Travel". Dear Friends, When we travel we bring opportunities for youth to dream of a better future, women and youth to innovate, people from all walks of life to come together and spread peace and understanding. And crucially we generate resources for cultural and natural preservation. It can be said that if culture is the story tourism is the publisher and distributor of that story so strong is the relationship between tourism and culture. But with tourism s continued growth comes increasing responsibility to protect our cultural and natural assets, the foundations of our tourism, of our countries; of our civilizations.

3 3 With 1.8 billion travellers, we could end up with 1.8 B opportunities, or 1.8 B disasters. So we must: - put tourism revenue back into the conservation and promotion of heritage - measure our true impact (invite to join in the Stats Conference in the Philippines where we will launch MST/ Tourism observatories) - listen and engage communities (give them a voice) - use technology and innovate to protect our common values and history My dear friends, In 2015, the UNGA accomplished three important milestones: The 17 SDGs, a roadmap to 2030 The Paris Agreement Dedicating 2017 as "the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development" 2017 is, therefore, a very special year for us in the travel and tourism sector, and a unique opportunity for all of us to come together to promote the contributions of travel, as a grand 21-c human activity, to building a better future for people and planet. To reach sustainability, culture and tourism must always support each other. Every year, the future of cultural and natural heritage sites, sites that inspire millions to move around the world, is under threat: - under threat from lack of respect

4 4 - under threat from overcrowding and badly managed tourism flows - under threat from climate change, decay and biodiversity loss Sites like the magnificent Pompeii and the Leaning Tower of Pisa are precious sanctuaries of culture and history. If we do not take care of them, they risk irreversible damage. We need to work together, among all stakeholders, between public and private sectors and across borders, to protect our heritage and promote our common values. Global challenges can only be addressed through global partnerships. I would propose that we focus on 4 main areas: New governance models (that bring tourism and culture stakeholders together) 1. Promotion and marketing to raise awareness on the value of preservation and sustainability among tourists and hosts 2. Effective destination and site management to ensure sustainability as tourist numbers continue to rise (Invite all to join the UNWTO Special dialogue on Sustainable tourism for development in world archaeological sites to be held in October at the XX Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism (BMTA) in Paestum (Italy) 3. Mindful urban regeneration to make our cities sustainable and inclusive, and so tourism is not seen as a negative force.

5 5 We must preserve and respect our past, so we can protect our future. As global citizens, as stewards of world heritage, as ambassadors of peace, let us make 1.8 B opportunities for a better world. One final thought: We travel to places that we respect, respect the people, respect the society, respect the culture, respect the nature, respect the history, because in doing so, we respect ourselves. We find our reserves of self-respect. In this International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development our message is, TRAVEL ENJOY RESPECT RESPECT NATURE RESPECT CULTURE RESPECT YOUR HOST

6 6 My dear friends, Giuseppe Verdi is known to have said You may have the universe if I may have Italy. That is the power and the charm of this country. It s a land that charms travellers from all over the world, that makes people fall in love and return again and again. Italy is: An opera for the senses An energising shot of the finest expresso A rich ragu of personalities, of passionate and humble people A world leading exporter of taste, beauty and culture A place to visit, enjoy and respect. To travel Italy is to live!