Chile will represent the Americas in an important area of world tourism. From January 1, 2020 until 2022, they will be part of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations.
In this way, Chile joins the body of greater relevance within the UNWTO made up of representatives from 33 countries, who will work together with the secretary general of the body for the definition of policies and programs to be followed worldwide for the tourism industry .
The general assembly, an instance in which the appointment of Chile will be formalized, will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the month of September.
It is a great honor to have been chosen to represent the region at the highest level of the World Tourism Organization and also a great opportunity. That Chile is sitting with the representatives of the five continents, discussing the programs and policies that will be promoted to advance in the development of this sector, will allow us to highlight what as a country we are carrying out in tourism, in addition to participating in the discussion of issues of international interest, contributing to the search to arrange positions and advance in matters of common interest, ”said the Undersecretary of Tourism.
The Executive Council is the most relevant body within the UNWTO and is made up of representatives from 33 countries, who, together with working with the Secretary General, play a key role in defining policies and programs to be followed globally. to develop the tourism industry.
According to the UNWTO regulations, the mandate of the members of this council is renewed every four years, except in the periods in which it is shared with another member country. “That is the situation in Chile, which will share its mandate with Paraguay,” said the head of Tourism, which will promote interregional connectivity, as well as promoting policies for the development of rural tourism, incorporating communities into tourism development.
Different committees such as Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account, Program and Budget, Selection of Affiliated Members, Tourism and Competitiveness, and Tourism and Sustainability depend on this council.
The general assembly, an instance in which the appointment of Chile will be formalized, will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the month of September.
Tourism is currently one of the main actors in international trade, becoming an increasingly relevant industry for the economy, especially for developing countries, which see this industry as a source of income and job creation .
According to information published by the UNWTO in 2017, global travel-related spending more than doubled between 2000 and 2016, moving from USD $ 495 billion to USD $ 1.2 trillion.
An additional example of the exponential growth of the sector is the increase in international travel. While in 1950 the arrivals barely reached 25 million, in 2005 there was already talk of 808 million movements worldwide. For this year, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that 1.4 billion international trips will be made and that by 2030 1.8 billion will be reached.
Guatemala will also represent the Americas in the UNWTO Executive Council.
A challenge similar to that of Chile will have the Guatemalan tourism authorities since the progress in the work agenda will be based on “promoting the development and implementation of regional policies” for tourism development.