109th session of UNWTO Executive Council | 01 Nov 2018

Indian delegation attended the 109th session of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Executive Council in Manama, Bahrain. The three-day session started on 30th October 2018.

• The Executive Council discussed several topics on the agenda that are related to the development of the global tourism sector.
• The UNWTO is responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
• As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability.
• UNWTO’s membership includes 158 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations, and local tourism authorities.
• Structure of UNWTO
  • General Assembly
    • The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization. It ‎meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate ‎topics of vital importance to the tourism sector.
  • Regional Commissions
    • UNWTO has six regional commissions-Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, ‎Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. The commissions meet at least once a year
  • Executive Council
    • The Executive Council is UNWTO's governing board, responsible for ensuring that the ‎Organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget. It consists of 35 members elected by the general assembly. India is the second-vice chair at the council.
  • ‎Committees
    • Specialized committees of UNWTO Members advise on management and programme ‎content.

Few initiatives by UNWTO

• World Tourism Day: 27th September
• Silk Road initiative: Silk Road initiative functions as a collaborative platform designed to enhance sustainable tourism development along the historic Silk Road routes.
• ST-EP: The UNWTO Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty Initiative (ST-EP) promotes poverty alleviation through the initiative which focuses to encourage sustainable tourism.
• World Tourism Barometer
  • The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer monitors short-term tourism trends on a regular basis to provide global tourism stakeholders with up-to-date analysis of international tourism.
  • The report is published six times a year and includes an analysis of the latest data on tourism destinations.