NEWS TOWARDS A
NEWS TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE UNWTO highlights tourism’s role as a tool for development on World Tourism Day Wednesday 27 th September was World Tourism Day; a day when the topic of sustainable tourism was even more heightened in the minds of all those in the sector. As the United Nations’ General Assembly affirmed when announcing the adoption of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, tourism can contribute to all the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – and each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Not only does the sector spearhead growth, it also improves the quality of people’s lives. It can bolster environmental protection, champion diverse cultural heritage, and strengthen peace in the world. In this spirit, World Tourism Day 2017 presented a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism to development among public and private sector decisionmakers and the international community, while mobilising all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change. “Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development” – a message from Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on World Tourism Day Taleb Rifai Secretary-General, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Tourism is today the 3rd largest export industry in the world after chemicals and fuels. It brings hope, prosperity and understanding to so many lives and livelihoods all over the world. Last year alone, 1.235 billion travellers crossed international borders in one single year. By 2030, this figure will rise to 1.8 billion. The question, as we celebrate World Tourism Day 2017, is how we can enable this powerful global transformative force, these 1.8 billion opportunities, to contribute to make this world a better place and to advance sustainable development in all its 5 pillars: 1. Economic: yielding inclusive growth; 2. Social: bringing decent jobs and empowering communities; 3. Environmental: preserving and enriching the environment and addressing climate change; 4. Cultural: celebrating and preserving diversity, identity, and tangible and intangible culture, and 5. Peace: as an essential prerequisite for development and progress. As 2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, this is a unique opportunity for all of us to come together to promote the contribution of travel and tourism as a grand 21 st century human activity, to build a better future for people, planet, peace and prosperity. This World Tourism Day, whenever you travel, wherever you travel, remember to: RESPECT NATURE, RESPECT CULTURE, RESPECT YOUR HOST. You can be the change you want to see in the world. You can be an ambassador for a better future. TRAVEL, ENJOY AND RESPECT. SMARTreport Commercial Content
EVENTS Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #36 2017 Autumn Edition 7 ITB Asia Stands WE ARE DELIGHTED TO SEE SUCH LEVELS OF GROWTH FROM VARIOUS KEY MARKETS AT THE SHOW THIS YEAR A SELL-OUT SHOW ITB Asia 10 th edition solidifies reputation as Asia’s #1 travel and tourism trade event Celebrating its 10 th anniversary as “Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show”, ITB Asia 2017 completely sold out well ahead of its milestone show this October, with a tremendous surge in booth bookings from the global market. “As we celebrate our 10 th anniversary this year, the substantial growth in exhibitors underlines how ITB Asia has firmly established itself as the leading industry event in the region. The Asian outbound market continues to attract huge interest and we are delighted to see such levels of growth from various key markets at the show this year,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia. For the first time this year, ITB Asia will host Brazil’s Rio Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Moscow City Government, Promote Iceland, as well as an African Pavilion, among many others. BRICS economies are showing exceeding exhibitor stand booking growth rates, with South Africa (200%), Russia (183%) and Brazil (100%) paving the trend. China is also growing its presence at ITB Asia by 31% this year with Ctrip, Wuzhen Tourism, Hua Min Tourism & Reservation, Shanghai Toptown International Travel Agency and many more set to feature during the show. Tunisia and Rwanda will make their debut at ITB Asia this year, joining Kenya Tourism Board and other African exhibitors from Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Sudan. This comes as no surprise given that the African market has shown an exceptional growth of 25% at this year’s show. Europe is a close second having recorded a 23% growth which is led by the Greek National Tourism Organisation and Spain’s Tourism Board. This growth is also substantiated by a growing number of exhibitors from the Balkan Peninsula, including countries such as Romania and Bosnia & Herzegovina. In addition, Scandinavian markets have marked a 21% growth as leading markets such as Finland and Norway show stronger exhibitor demand. This is further strengthened by Promote Iceland which joins ITB Asia for the first time. Delegates can also look forward to a strong showing by Japan and Korea at this year’s show as Japan recorded an 89% growth in exhibitor bookings while Korea recorded a staggering 112% growth, thanks to Korea Tourism Organisation, Seoul Tourism Organisation and Jeju Convention & Visitors Bureau SMARTreport Commercial Content
