PH hosts UN tourism summit

The Philippines plays host to the United Nations World Tourism Organization conference on tourism statistics. PHOTO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

The spotlight is on the Philippines once again as Manila hosts on Wednesday the 6th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference on tourism statistics.

The 6th UNWTO conference’s theme centers on measuring sustainable tourism and its impact on economies and communities.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, together with UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, led at least 16 tourism and trade ministers and executives in the ministerial roundtable discussion.

Policy leaders, statisticians and academics will convene for the rest of the week to tackle issues in consolidating data that supports the tourism industry and its impact on the environment, economy and communities that hosts tourists.

The conference, which is held at the Marriott Hotel in Resorts World Manila, also hopes to discuss travel and tourism’s link on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Manila conference will produce a declaration acknowledging the importance of developing a framework for measuring sustainable tourism.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) also planned site visits for the ministers and the participants in Balesin island in Quezon province, Tagaytay, Pampanga and Palawan.

The hosting of the UNWTO conference comes after a recent “unoriginal” tourism video fiasco that prompted the DOT to split with its partner ad agency, McCann Worldgroup Philippines and a World Economic Forum index citing the Philippines’ tourism competitiveness slipping by five notches. IDL

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