Transforming tourism through sustainable procurement

Globally, the tourism industry already accounts for an average of 9 per cent of nations’ gross domestic product (GDP), and its importance is bound to increase even more. The United Nations World Tourism Organization projects international tourist arrivals to increase from 1.1 billion in 2014 to 1.8 billion in 2030. For many developing countries tourism is a key pillar of national development contributing to growth, employment, investment as well as technology dissemination. In many small island developing states (SIDS), it accounts for up to 25 to 60% of national GDP.

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The Journey Begins in Mystical Myanmar

A golden mystery up heaved itself on the horizon – a beautiful, winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple spire,” wrote Rudyard Kipling in 1898. “There’s the old Shway Dagon,” said his companion. “This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know.”

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Data & Digital Platforms: Driving Tourism Growth in Asia Pacific

Destinations in the Asia Pacific region can maximise tourism growth, and in turn job creation, by expanding their online presence. As travellers organise
trips online more frequently, destination management organisations and businesses should leverage available tools and digital platforms to engage with them throughout the planning process. Data generated by online interactions can be leveraged to further drive innovation and growth. There are opportunities to generate over 9 million new jobs in the region. This would stimulate GDP growth by up to an additional 1% destination-by-destination with an average 5% rise in the Travel & Tourism sector.

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Case Study Inle Heritage

Inle Heritage, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009, is located at the Innpawkhon Village in Myanmar. The main purpose of the organization is to preserve the cultural and natural richness of the Inle Region, which is located at the western edge of the Shan plateau in eastern Myanmar. Inle Heritage does not rely much on donations. The organization finances its projects to preserve the ecological system and the cultural heritage of Inle Lake through revenue-generating activities

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Global Report on Inclusive Tourism Destinations

This Global Report: Inclusive Tourism Destinations has been drawn up by the team of the globaldit firm with the World Tourism Organization. It sets out a Model for inclusive tourism destinations from a supply point of view, in which inclusion refers to the capacity of the tourism system to integrate disadvantaged groups so that they can participate in, and benefit from, tourism activity. The model is made up of a set of principles, definitions and public policy tools that have proved to be appropriate in various places and contexts for improving access to tourism activities for the most disadvantaged groups in society, converting them into suppliers of tourism services or suppliers to the sector.

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Welcome to Laos…Simply Beautiful

People began traveling to Laos more than 3,500 years ago and settled in river valleys that cut through the country’s lush green mountains. Several millennia later King Fa Ngum unified these far flung settlements into Lane Xang, the Kingdom of a Million Elephants, and established the first Lao capital in Luang Prabang.

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