Tourism to slow in next 6 months - UNWTO
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In the face of the global economic downturn, international tourism may experience negative growth over the next six to nine months, according to the UNWTO’s Resilience Committee.
The conclusions were aired at the ‘Conference for the Middle East and Mediterranean Region on Tourism – Responding to a Turbulent Economy’, held last week in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The conference, attended by 175 participants from over 20 countries and 14 international organisations, also called for active government support of the tourism sector.
The conference said that while the global economic slowdown was causing many governments to downgrade expectations, they should reflect that:
Tourism has very high export and job delivery capacity - particularly for developing countries. Creative approaches could include tax moratoria and rollback. More public/private sector collaboration should be encouraged. The banking and financial community have a vital role to play in supporting financially sustainable industry programmes and in considering innovative measures to respond to the economic circumstances.UNWTO Secretary General, Francisco Frangialli, said; “UNWTO is committed to actively assist the sector during this period, keeping at the same time a strong focus on the longer-term challenges posed by the sustainable development and climate change agenda.”
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