UNWTO has said that a collaborative and multilateral approach is and must remain at the centre of capitalizing on the lessons we learnt in a short space of time of pandemic. The way in which the pandemic has developed over the closing weeks of the year gives everyone a reason for concern and to again put public health above everything else.
But recent developments have again validated UNWTO’s initial position: the only way forward is through collaboration and actions that are based on evidence rather than on speculation or political strategy.
In its year-end roundup for the global travel and tourism industry, UNWTO has acknowledged that, this has been another challenging year for world societies, economies and tourism. Many millions of jobs and businesses remain in peril, at the mercy of an evolving crisis and of the actions of governments. However, world is by no means in the same place it was when the pandemic was declared in March 2020. In fact, there has been success in laying the foundations to restart tourism around the pillars of sustainability, innovation, people and investing for a resilient future.
Working together
Over the past year, much progress has been made in rolling out vaccinations and in both detecting and treating COVID-19. Industry has also seen significant progress made in finding the right balance between keeping people safe and keeping the vital lifeline of tourism intact, as illustrated by UNWTO’s effective collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) since the very start of the pandemic.
UNWTO further emphasized that, ensuring harmonized travel protocols has been our message since day one. They are at the heart of tourism’s restart in many parts of the world, most notably in the Northern Hemisphere destinations during the peak summer months.
For people and planet
On its commitment towards greener planet, UNWTO said that, Tourism is ready to do the hard work and live up to its responsibilities to people and planet, as demonstrated by the huge interest received in the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, launched at the UN Climate Summit COP26. A growing number of commitments are received to halve emissions by 2030 and to reach NetZero by 2050 at the latest, with Member countries, individual destinations, global companies and local players as well as media outlets, hundreds are on board, and counting.
The 24th UNWTO General Assembly in Madrid brought its members together to speak with one voice. Members endorsed key initiatives such as a first International Code for the Protection of Tourists. This landmark legal framework is designed to restore trust in travel, a vital ingredient for recovery.
Mainstreaming tourism
Like never before, the pandemic has made clear tourism’s relevance to world economies and societies. Tourism is now part of the global conversation and at the heart of both national and international recovery action plans.
And support for UNWTO has never been louder or more visible. Over the past 12 months, it has strengthened key partnerships, among them the G20 and G7, as well as ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization), FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the World Bank, IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), CAF, (The Development Bank of Latin America) and the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development).
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