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Top tourism officials to visit Jamaica for high-level UNWTO meeting

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Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, and Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, are among the global tourism officials who will visit Jamaica this week to attend the blended staging of the UNWTO’s 66th Regional Commission of the Americas (CAM) on June 24. The trip will mark Mr. Pololikashvili’s first visit to the English-speaking Caribbean. 

Additionally, the Caribbean will also be strongly represented as the Minister of Tourism and International Transport for Barbados, Senator, the Hon. Lisa Cummins, will also travel to Jamaica to attend the CAM meeting to be chaired by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. The tourism officials will also participate in the Ministerial Dialogue on the reactivation of the tourism sector for inclusive growth. 

Minister Bartlett indicates that investment will be high on the agenda when local officials meet with the Saudi Minister. He says Mr. Al Khateeb will be arriving with a delegation of eleven, including an investor who will hold talks with Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill, around a number of matters including renewable energy. 

Noting the importance of Mr. Al Khateeb’s visit, Minister Bartlett said it will be the first by a Saudi Arabian Minister of Tourism and that he is seen as the leading minister holding that portfolio in the Arabian region. He also oversees the Red Sea project, said to be the largest tourism venture to be undertaken anywhere in the world. 

Mr. Bartlett revealed that the Red Sea project involves building out a number of islands to create a whole new US$40-billion tourism experience that will rival the much talked about Dubai development and is expected to transform Saudi Arabia’s oil-based economy into one driven by tourism. Minister Bartlett said this was of significance to Jamaica as it underscored the central value of tourism as a transformational tool in economic development. 

The Saudi tourism minister will be visiting the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) at the University of the West Indies, where he will participate in a bi-lateral meeting on tourism cooperation. “We will have a series of discussions relating to fostering collaboration between tourism in Jamaica and tourism in Saudi Arabia,” Minister Bartlett disclosed. 

Also, on their agenda is exploring areas of community tourism and cruise development, as well as sustainability and resilience “and the building out of a very tangible facility, we hope, in the region to enable a broader appreciation of sustainable tourism, as well as the importance of resilience in building the capacity to recover from disruptions that will ultimately happen,” said Mr. Bartlett. 

While here, the tourism officials and their delegations will tour the Bob Marley Museum, the GTRCMC and Craighton Estate. Minister Bartlett will also host a welcome dinner for the special guests at the Devon House, while Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness will extend the same courtesy at AC Marriott Hotel. 

More news about Jamaica

MEDIA CONTACT:  

Corporate Communications Division 

Ministry of Tourism  

64 Knutsford Boulevard 

Kingston 5 

Telephone: 920-4924,  

Fax: 906-1729 

Or 

Kingsley Roberts 

Senior Director, Corporate Communications 

Ministry of Tourism 

64 Knutsford Boulevard 

Kingston 5 

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990 

Cell: (876) 505-6118 

Fax: 920-4944 

UNWTO Secretary General to visit Jamaica in June

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett (seen left in the photo) and his colleague, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill (seen right), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, share a light moment with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, (seen center) following their high-level meeting today in Madrid, Spain.

During their meeting they discussed strategies to foster the rebound of the global tourism industry and also finalized plans for Jamaica to host the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) meeting from June 23-24, 2021. Jamaica currently chairs the CAM and will relinquish its position at the General Assembly in Morocco in October.

Minister Bartlett also outlined that the Cabinet has since approved Jamaica’s candidacy for the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2022-2026.

The Secretary General is expected to visit Jamaica for the CAM meeting in June as well as an official tour of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. It will be the first time Mr. Pololikashvili will be visiting the English-speaking Caribbean.

The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism and its agencies are on a mission to enhance and transform Jamaica’s tourism product, while ensuring that the benefits which flow from the tourism sector are increased for all Jamaicans. To this end it has implemented policies and strategies that will provide further momentum for tourism as the engine of growth for the Jamaican economy. The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the tourism sector makes the fullest contribution possible to Jamaica’s economic development given its tremendous earning potential.

At the Ministry, they are leading the charge to strengthen the linkages between tourism and other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and entertainment, and in so doing encourage every Jamaican to play their part in improving the country’s tourism product, sustaining investment, and modernizing and diversifying the sector to foster growth and job creation for fellow Jamaicans. The Ministry sees this as critical to Jamaica’s survival and success and has undertaken this process through an inclusive approach, which is driven by the Resort Boards, through wide-scale consultation.

Recognizing that a collaborative effort and a committed partnership between the public and private sectors will be needed to achieve set targets, central to the Ministry’s plans is maintaining and nurturing its relationship with all key stakeholders. In so doing, it is believed that with the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development as a guide and the National Development Plan – Vision 2030 as a benchmark – the Ministry’s goals are achievable for the benefit of all Jamaicans.

More news about Jamaica

#rebuildingtravel

Media contact:

Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Telephone: 920-4924,

Fax: 906-1729

Or

Kingsley Roberts

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990

Cell: (876) 505-6118

Fax: 920-4944

African Tourism Board urgent appeal to Iran and the United States

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A war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will not only send fear to American travelers, traveling for business and tourism but to the global travel and tourism industry as a whole.

Many countries and regions in Africa rely on tourism revenue as the main foreign currency earner. Ministers of Tourism from around the African continent are in disbelieve in the state of the world at this time, and some are nervous. Many heads of State in Africa don’t really know how to react.

Also, UNWTO  Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has not made any statements, and Gloria Guevara, head of  WTTC  has not reacted.

Iran is an important country for the UNWTO Secretary-General. eTurboNews reported about it a year ago.

Hopefully, UNWTO is working behind the scene by pointing out to Iran and the U.S. about the consequences for the tourism industry in case of a growing conflict between the two nations.

The U.S. President tweeted yesterday he had 52 Iranian targets in site representing also Iranian Cultural sites. This was a threat targeting global heritage, and would not only punish Iran. Global heritage is part of global tourism.

Cuthbert Ncube, Chairman of the African Tourism Board seems to be the first tourism leader with a message to U.S. President Donald Trump and President Hassan Rouhani.

African Tourism Board is now officially in business
Cuthbert Ncube, ATB Chair

Cuthbert said on Sunday:

“At the African Tourism Board (ATB)  we condemn the use of violence perpetrated by either party as violence begets violence, and in most cases, innocent people get caught up on the crossfire.

We therefore encourage and are pleading for a constructive dialogue between the United States and the Iran presidents Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani.

The tension between the U.S. and Iran will affect Global Peace, and deprive connectivity within the tourism space.  Tourism is the livelihood for more than 10% of the global population and specifically, in Africa it is critical income needed by our people.

If the situation between the two nations is not checked and corrected it will raise mistrust, others will get involved and could spread like a bushfire.

We, therefore condemn in the strongest terms any act of violence. Such violence will most likely lead to retaliation and further escalate into a full-blown war.”

Joining the African Tourism board go to www.africantourismboard.com/join 

MEDIA CONTACT: TravelMarketingNetwork, 954 Lexington Ave. #1037, New York, NY 10021 USA, PH: (+1) 718-374-6816, [email protected]

African Tourism Board and African Union Development Agency in talks

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The African Tourism Board is taking leadership for the continents’ travel and tourism industry in working hard to establish relationships and forming alliances with all relevant players.

On Monday, the African Tourism Board Chairperson Cuthbert Ncube and the ATB Chief Executive Officer Doris Woerfel met with African Union Development Agency  Martin Bwalya , head of the Industrialisation Division at the AUDA head offices in Midrand, South Africa.

Both Organisations have agreed to work together in fulfilling the objectives and mandate of the UNWTO and AU’s Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 by all countries of the UN.

Traditional development efforts have often focused on one issue at a time, i.e first hunger, then clean energy, then inclusive institutions. The SDGs recognize that Development must balance economic, social and environmental sustainability— and that interventions in one area will affect outcomes in others. For example, actions to support women’s and girls’ empowerment may also catalyze local economies, enable safer childbirth, and build more inclusive communities.

The emphasis dwelt on collectively engaging both parties on implementation on projects earmarked for Development within the continent.

The Chairperson emphasized that ATB believes with a full conviction on Africa’s resources, in fact, it is the wealthiest landmass on the face of the earth. This wealth can be found in its abundant mineral resources and in its huge agricultural potential. Africa’s mineral wealth includes a wide variety and huge volume of resources that are critical to the technical and industrial development of humanity.

However, because this wealth is unevenly distributed, showing no relationship to the artificial, imperialist imposed divisions of the continent, this wealth can only benefit the masses of African people when shared on a continent-wide basis.

This strategic partnership with the African Union will see a more robust and accelerated approach in acknowledging the need for the continent to appreciate and unify this effort.

Only a united Africa, with it’s more than one billion people, can provide the requisite market size to stimulate large scale production. How ever, as it stands, a weak and divided Africa has been forced to turn its purchasing power over to foreign industrialized nations of the world.

These nations, in turn, use this opportunity to flood Africa’s markets with goods, many of which are of very dubious quality, produced by their large scale factories, plants, and farms.

More on the African Tourism Board: www.africantourismboard.com

MEDIA CONTACT: TravelMarketingNetwork, 954 Lexington Ave. #1037, New York, NY 10021 USA, PH: (+1) 718-374-6816, [email protected]   

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Bartlett calls for global support for hurricane-impacted Bahamas

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett today urged members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly to express solidarity with the Government and people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, following the passage of Hurricane Dorian.

Addressing the members of the 23rd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Minister said, “The Bahamas is a key partner in the UNWTO network and served as chair of the Americas. We think this General Assembly should take note of the current situation there and resolve to offer all the support that is possible to ensure a speedy and effective recovery.

I further call upon the UNWTO to support in the reconstruction process with a focus on ‘building back better’ and thriving which is the essence of resilience.”

In his official address, the Minister also stated The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, located at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, stands ready to serve as a vehicle of implementation for the collective efforts of the UNWTO.

“It is real experiences such as this that inspired the establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. For decades, we have championed resilience in words, now is the time to act,” said the Minister.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.

He also noted that resilience efforts for the tourism sector should be founded on effective crisis communication to build awareness and public education for informed messaging.

The UNWTO is an agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It includes members from 158 countries, 6 territories and over 500 affiliate members from the private sector. It also offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The Minister also used the opportunity to invite the members of the General Assembly to further show their support for the Bahamas by booking their next vacation to the island.

“We emphasize and reiterate the position of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, that indeed the best way to support the Bahamas is to visit the Bahamas as a tourist.

The Minister and his delegation are expected to return from Russia on September 14, 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Jamaica successful in bid to chair UNWTO’s Regional Commission for the Americas

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Jamaica was yesterday selected to chair the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) for the biennium 2019-2021.

“Jamaica graciously accepts the position of Chairman for the Regional Commission of the Americas and thanks the members for the confidence which has been demonstrated. This is the first time in our history that anyone in the Caribbean has been appointed Chairman of this commission,” said the Minister.

The elections for the Chairmanship of CAM were held during the organization’s 64th Meeting in Guatemala.

Since 1975, Jamaica has served as Vice-President of the General Assembly on five occasions over the period 1987 – 2011, and has been re-elected twice as a member of the Executive Council, serving as second Vice-Chair in 2012, 1st Vice Chair in 2013 and eventually serving as Chairman of the Executive Council for the period 2014-2015.

In his acceptance speech, the Minister shared that “Jamaica firmly believes that the tourism sector is one that should always be guided by sound policies and has over the years worked assiduously to ensure that this is achieved at both the domestic and international levels.

Jamaica also underscores it commitment to enhancing the capacity of the Americas to plan for and manage a range of global shocks and disruptions that can be destabilizing to the tourism sector.”

He then invited the participation of member countries in the ‘first of its kind’ Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre which is based at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.

The Regional Commissions meet once a year to allow Member States to maintain ‎contact with each other and with the UNWTO Secretariat between sessions of the bi-annual General ‎Assembly.

While in Guatemala, the Minister and his delegation will also participate in the International Seminar on Destination Management, which is taking place under the theme ‘New Challenges, New Solutions.’

The Seminar will discuss current challenges and opportunities facing destination management at national and local levels, including the changing role of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and the development of smart destinations.

The Minister is accompanied by Miss Kerry Chambers, Senior Director, Policy and Monitoring who will provide technical support. The team will return to the island on May 18, 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

UNWTO hopes to work with African Tourism Board

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African Tourism Board (ATB) Vice President Cuthbert Ncube recently joined ATB from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), where he served as a Regional Vice Chair and Board member.

He told UNWTO in his resignation letter:  “I  have walked with great giants within the UNWTO that has become the harbour  and fountain of wisdom for me. I have learned a lot from the leadership under the previous Secretary General Taleb Rifai’s humility and perseverance as a mile road to lead such a diverse audience.

“The current Secretary General, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, who has stepped in the great shoes, his drive and energy and wealth of wisdom to drive this great organization to upper levels, especially embracing the private and public entities. I am humbled and appreciate every step we have walked together as a team.

“To the Board Members I want to salute each and every one of them; this pool of great leaders who each contributed on my journey in placing every brick and mortar that has cemented my individuality in making [me] who I am today.

“I have accepted the call from the African Tourism Board to serve as their Board Member, and, therefore, I felt obligated to communicate to your esteemed and request for your blessings as Kwela Fleet we will  remain as an Affiliate Member of the UNWTO, and my drive will be to continue working with UNWTO and find synergies between UNWTO and the African Tourism Board, as I will always be indebted to this great organization.

“I, therefore, want to express my gratitude and appreciation to the UNWTO  Secretary General, the team, and management.”

UNWTO responded: “We are very pleased to hear that you will be joining the African Tourism Board, and we hope that in your new position we will continue our fruitful relationship and continue to work together for the sustainable development of tourism in Africa.”

Founded in 2018, the African Tourism Board is an association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the African region. For more information and how to join, visit africantourismboard.com.

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Bartlett to Lobby for Jamaica to Chair the UNWTOs Regional Commission for the Americas

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departs the island today, to attend the 64th Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) in Guatemala City – La Antigua, Guatemala. While there, he is expected to present Jamaica’s candidature for the chairmanship of CAM to the UNWTO for the biennium 2019-2021.

“I am very excited to represent our great nation at the 64th meeting of the CAM. We are very hopeful that our presentation will be well received and that Jamaica will be able to chair the commission,” said the Minister.

The elections for the Chairmanship of CAM will be held at the 64th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas, in Guatemala during the period May 15 – 17, 2019.

The Regional Commissions meet once a year to allow Member States to maintain ‎contact with each other and with the UNWTO Secretariat between sessions of the bi-annual General ‎Assembly. 

Minister Bartlett’s presence at the CAM is critical, as Jamaica is one of the four English speaking Caribbean Member States of the UNWTO.  The country also occupies one of the five (5) seats allocated to the CAM on the Executive Council of the UNWTO for the period 2018 – 2021. 

While in Guatemala, the Minister and his delegation will also participate in the International Seminar on Destination Management, which is taking place under the theme ‘New Challenges, New Solutions.’

The Seminar will discuss current challenges and opportunities facing destination management at national and local levels, including the changing role of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and the development of smart destinations.

Minister Bartlett will also present the programme areas of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre for the year.

“The Centre, which I am pleased to say will be opening later this year, is focusing on four key deliverables at this time. One is the establishment of an academic journal, which will be a compendium of scholarly publications, on various elements of the five segments of disruptions. The editorial board has been established, headed by Professor Lee Miles of Bournemouth University, with the assistance of George Washington University,” said Minister Bartlett.

The other deliverables include: a compendium of best practices/ a blueprint for resilience; a resilience barometer to measure the resilience in countries and provide benchmarks to guide countries; and to establish an academic chair at the University of West Indies for innovation and resilience.

The Minister is accompanied by Miss Kerry Chambers, Senior Director, Policy and Monitoring who will provide technical support. The team will return to the island on May 18, 2019.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

eTN becomes a SUNx SDG 17 Partner calling for Climate Sanity in Tourism on Earth Day

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In nature, nothing exists alone is the message for Earth Day 2019. Announcing the public launch of its “SDG17 Partners Program” on Earth Day 2019, Professor Geoffrey Lipman co-founder SUNx, calls and president of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) asks the Travel & Tourism sector to join its “Plan For Our Kids” and take the “Climate Sanity” Pledge.

Professor Lipman, former Executive Director at IATA, President of WTTC and Assistant Secretary-General UNWTO, said:

“I’m confident that Travel & Tourism will play a leadership role in the global shift to a New Climate Economy: we just need a pathway for change and that lies in our faith in the next generation”

SUNx a legacy for Planetary Champion Maurice Strong has created a “Plan For Our Kids”, aiming to recruit 100,000 STRONG Climate Champions to advance its vision of a no Carbon 2050 sector totally compliant with the evolving goals of the Paris Accords.

He added “During the past year we have seen a welcome intensification of the pressures for a new commitment to Climate Sanity, which stops discussing whether climate change is existential and just gets on with solutions. That’s the common message from Greta Thunberg’s Friday’s for Futures and AOC’s Green New Deal: it’s the message from Earth Scientists and Nobel Economists: it’s the plea from Sir David Attenborough.

”Lipman concluded “SDG 17 Partners will share our long-term vision on the fact that Climate Change is eXistential and that we have to act NOW, as if this Earth Day is the first day of the rest of our lives. We all have different starting positions, based on our separate realities: but we have a shared goal of meeting the Paris Agenda and together taking a “No Carbon 2050 moonshot”. We can deliver Climate Friendly Travel ~ measured plans: green growth: 2050 no carbon proof “

Juergen Steinmetz president of the eTN Corporation said “We are proud to become a SUNx SDG 17 Partner and provide preferential support for this great cause. As long as I have known Geoffrey Lipman, he has been drumming home the message that Climate Change is eXistential and that if we don’t fix it now, it will fix us. We are in, and will use all our links, like ICTP and the African Tourism Board to support Climate Friendly Travel. going forward”.

For more on SUNx and its SDG 17 Partnership Program please contact: go to www.thesunprogram.com

What is Earth Day?

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

On April 22, 1970, millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development.

In the U.S. and around the world, smog was becoming deadly and evidence was growing that pollution led to developmental delays in children. Biodiversity was in decline as a result of the heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants.

The global ecological awareness was growing, and the US Congress and President Nixon responded quickly. In July of the same year, they created the Environmental Protection Agency, and robust environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, among many.

One billion people

Earth Day is now a global event each year, and more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.

It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, has chosen as the theme for 2018 to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate primarily single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.  EDN is educating millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that plastic waste is creating serious global problems.

From poisoning and injuring marine life to the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our food to disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty, the exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet’s survival.

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UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism to analyze sector’s potential

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The countdown begins for the 5th World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism to be held on 2 and 3 May in Donostia-San Sebastián, organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC). International experts will analyze and discuss the influence and capacity of gastronomy tourism to create employment and promote entrepreneurship and how to increase its potential in the future. Registration to attend the forum is still open here.

Stimulating employment

The Forum will explore how the most favorable frameworks can be created in order to stimulate job creation and entrepreneurship throughout the gastronomy tourism value chain. In addition, the speakers will try to identify the most relevant skills for this type of tourism, which should foster synergies among emerging companies, promote the inclusion of disadvantaged groups and take full account of digitalization. The event will bring together speakers and experts from all regions of the world, as well as internationally renowned Basque chefs such as Elena Arzak, who is a UNWTO Ambassador for Responsible Tourism and joint head chef of the restaurant Arzak, and Andoni Luis Aduriz.
In addition, the event will host the presentation of the UNWTO/BCC Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism.

Sessions and startups

The forum will open with a high-level panel with ministers and secretaries of state from countries that have included gastronomy tourism as part of their strategies, such as Cyprus, Slovenia or Spain, among others. Under the theme, “Public policies as key ingredients to promote gastronomy tourism”, the participants will discuss the necessary political framework for the development of gastronomy tourism as well as its capacity to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship.

In addition to shedding light on the competencies needed to meet the demands of gastronomy tourists, the sessions will encourage the creation of environments that stimulate entrepreneurship, that connect emerging companies and better integrate disadvantaged groups in the labour market. Issues related to local communities or to under-represented groups, such as women, youth and persons with disabilities, will also be discussed. In addition, topics such as the digitalization of the sector will also be analyzed in order to identify the new opportunities they offer to companies. In addition, the latest advances in the creation of the necessary framework to stimulate entrepreneurship will be presented, connecting the different ecosystems with the startups that are part of the value chain of gastronomy tourism.

In this context, the five finalist startups of the First Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition, organized by the UNWTO and the BCC, will present the most innovative projects in line with the UNWTO’s strategy and the contribution of gastronomy tourism to the sustainable development goals.

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