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.

Understanding the economic contribution of tourism at the regional level is essential for more efficient destination management and the effective positioning of tourism. The 1^st International Conference on the Measurement and Economic Analysis of Regional Tourism (San Sebastian, Spain, 27-28 October), aims to further the study of tourism’s impact at the regional level.

Tourism’s role in preserving diversity and fostering international understanding were at the centre of this year’s World Tourism Day Think Tank debates around the 2009 theme “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity”. The Think Tank was the climax of the official World Tourism Day celebrations held in Accra, Ghana, and brought together leading international experts, tourism policy makers and specialized media. The Think Tank was chaired by Hon. Mrs. Juliana Azumah Mensah (M.P.), Minister of Tourism of Ghana and Mr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim.

Analysing the main challenges for tourism destinations in the face of the global economic downturn was the main objective of the 5^th International Conference on Destination Management (Hangzhou, China, 21-22 September). The conference, ‘Weathering the Storm of Global Recession: The Challenges for Destination Management’, stressed the need for tourism destinations to adapt to current conditions in order to mitigate their negative impact.