The rapid growth of tourism in the 21st century is leading
to damage in destinations across the world that is largely
unreported and frequently not perceived by tourists, putting
destinations at risk without effective response.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria were created to provide a common understanding of sustainable tourism. The GSTC Destinations Criteria – known informally also as “GSTC-D” — are the minimum that any tourism destination should aspire to reach. They are organized around four main themes: sustainable management; socio-economic impacts; cultural impacts; and environmental impacts. They have applicability to the entire tourism sector.
Continue reading
In light of the serious situation in Myanmar, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, with the support of Lux-Development, prepared a survey instrument to try to identify the key issues that micro, small and medium tourism businesses (MSMEs) are facing and to use this information in the months ahead to address some of the impacts.
Continue reading
Indigenous peoples are characterized by some of the richest, most unique and diverse cultural expressions of humankind which have developed over thousands of years across our planet and are spiritually linked to indigenous traditional lands. These expressions represent a clear pull factor for potential tourists who wish to experience indigenous natural and cultural heritage in physical, intellectual and emotional terms.
Continue reading
The aim of the Global Report on Women in Tourism – Second Edition, is to examine the key factors that contribute to gender equality in the tourism sector. It pinpoints challenges and identifies ways to mitigate inequality and harness tourism’s potential to advance gender equality and women’s
empowerment worldwide.
In the 6th year of publication the UNWTO/GTERC Asia Tourism Trends, 2019 Edition comprises four specific chapters. As in the past editions, chapter 1 is dedicated to international tourism trends in Asia and the Pacific in their global and regional dimensions, with an overview the region’s socioeconomic environment.
Continue reading
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.
Continue reading