In the midst of economic, climate, social and health challenges, the 18^th session of the UNWTO General Assembly will convene in Astana, Kazakhstan from 5-8 October. UNWTO itself is also undergoing significant changes with the election of a new Secretary-General to take place at the Assembly.

 

 

The Roadmap for Recovery will be officially presented in Astana. The document is the result of an intense work programme of the UNWTO Tourism Resilience Committee and is aimed at guiding the sector out of the economic downturn. The Roadmap calls on world leaders to place tourism and travel at the core of stimulus packages and the Green New Deal. The sector has the potential to play an essential role in the post crisis recovery by providing jobs, infrastructure, stimulating trade and aiding development and should thus be a key consideration at future global economic summits. The Roadmap will be presented by the UNWTO Secretary-General a.i. Taleb Rifai and set the stage for this Assembly’s general debate (5 and 6 October). It will furthermore be the topic of the third meeting of the Tourism Resilience Committee (8 October).

 

 

 

 

As one of the main income sources for many countries, in particular developing states, and an engine of job creation, barriers to travel such as visa processes must be scrutinized objectively. This is even more the case in times of economic downturn. A declaration on the facilitation of tourist travel will be presented at the General Assembly (7 October) urging governments to consider measures such as simplifying visa applications and re-evaluating travel advisories. Facilitating travel is not only necessary for the resilience of the sector, but also the global economic recovery.     

 

 

Along similar lines, the General Assembly will call for responsible travel in the course of the A(H1N1) pandemic (6 October), urging governments not to take unilateral measures that may unnecessarily disrupt global travel during a briefing on the virus. UNWTO has held two review and preparation exercises on ‘Travel and Tourism in pandemic conditions’ which will form part of a briefing on the status of the virus and its impact on the tourism sector. This is of particular importance given that October is the beginning of the winter flu season in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

 

The General Assembly will also, inter alia, host a meeting concerning the development and promotion of cultural tourism as part of the ongoing Silk Road project (8 October); propose the themes selected for World Tourism Day 2010 and 2011 (7 October).

 

 

This year, for the first time, UNWTO is preparing a special communications campaign and all Assembly proceedings will be made available to the media. This footage will include interviews with top tourism officials reflecting on the challenges facing international tourism and the future development of the sector.