Tourism has united around a common Call to Action, outlining a shared vision for the sustainable and inclusive future of the sector. On the second day of the Future of Tourism World Summit in Barcelona (26-27 October), UNWTO was joined by fellow UN agencies, government Ministers, and public and private sector leaders, in agreeing to seize the opportunity to restart and recover better from the impacts of the pandemic. The Call to Action brings together the solutions and plans put forward during the two-day summit, recognizing the importance of transforming tourism ‘for people, for planet and for prosperity’.
‘Tourism must lead the way’
As world leaders get ready to meet in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), it states that “tourism must lead the way in adapting, becoming more sustainable and transitioning towards net-zero growth”. Among the key players backing the plan are UNWTO’s fellow the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), along with leading businesses, destinations and governments.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili underscored the need for “clear leadership to secure the financing necessary to build a more sustainable future”. He added that “the Barcelona Call to Action signals our sector’s readiness to lead the way, face up to and overcome challenges and build a better tourism for all”.
SDGs as reference for growth
The Call to Action was announced at the close of the two-day summit. Organized by the Advanced Leadership Foundation, and the Incyde Foundation of the Chambers of Commerce of Spain, with the support of UNWTO, this was the first major event focused on looking ahead held since the start of the pandemic. Its focus aligned with many of the key priorities of UNWTO’s work, most notably an emphasis on securing more and more effective funding to help transform the sector, as well as on the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The ten-point Call to Action includes a commitment to more fully integrating tourism into national and local action plans, ensuring the sector is engaged in issues such as housing, the use of public space and the use of infrastructure. It also highlights the need to ensure the sector’s restart and future growth adhere to the principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and are aligned with the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
10 points to action
1. Respond to the economic and social emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting businesses and through the retention and creation of jobs.
2. Promote tourism policies and strategies that ensure the sustainable use of resources, including responsible tourism planning and management, and to fully engage local communities in their development.
3. Fully integrate tourism in national and local polices to create greater prosperity, sustainability and dynamic economic balance. Also, to deepen the sector’s engagement in addressing its impacts on key issues such as housing, use of public space, quality of work and salaries, social exclusion, spatial segregation, environmental problems, or saturation of infrastructures.
4. Strengthen the cultural identity of destinations by promoting the ability to build markets that are sensitive to cultural values, enhancing identity preservation and encouraging the synergies between culture, especially the creative economy, tourism and social well-being. And, hand-in-hand with this, to promote tourism as a positive personal experience for both tourists and host communities.
5. Place economic, social and environmental sustainability firmly at the centre of tourism planning and management by strengthening its measurement, regulation, investment and communication
6. Advance initiatives that promote progress, regional integration and social cohesion and stimulate businesses’ commitment to planet, place and people, including citizens, visitors and workers. Encourage a new governance model sustained by citizen participation, public- private-community coordination and solid collaboration frameworks and leadership.
7. Incentivize the digitization of tourism, the application of information and communication technologies and the implementation of smart destination schemes that generate value and advance sustainability.
8. Promote international cooperation mechanism for crisis preparedness and management so as to bolster the resilience of the sector and reduce its vulnerabilities to future shocks.
9. Advance training, education, knowledge and research as levers for tourism innovation, competitiveness, inclusion, responsibility and sustainability.
10. Unlock tourism’s potential by facilitating investment for both public and private sectors, including funding for supporting governance and new business models uptake in digitalization and green growth. To support the creation of an innovative financing model such as the UN NetZero Tourism Fund in order to maximise the sector’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).