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Stout University, Kyung Hee Universityand UNWTO
‘Tourism Textbook Donation’Project
CONTENTSUNWTO World Tourism Barometer
3rd UNWTO Asia-Pacific Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy and Strategy
The Second International Symposium on Tourism and the Economy
Seoul Tourism Forum 2009: A Unique Brand Image of Seoul isthe Key to a Global Tourism City
Stout University, Kyung Hee University and UNWTO‘Tourism Textbook Donation’Project
Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic Outbreaks and its Affects on Tourism in Asia and the Pacific
Special Report on UNWTO Special Session: Civilization and World Tourism
Destination Report: Clark & Subic Bay, the Pilippines
Tourism and Community Development: Nepal
Success Stories of Sustainable Tourism Development: Shi Qiao, China
Conferences and Meetings
UNWTO in Asia
News Brief
Publishers
Taleb Rifai, Ph.D | Secretary-General a.i. of the UNWTOInwon Choue, Ph.D | President of Kyung Hee Univ. Republic of Korea
Chief Editor
Chulwon Kim, Ph.D
Editorial BoardWilliam Cannon Hunter, Ph.DDaekwan Kim, Ph.DBongseok Kim, Ph.DHeyryon Lee, Ph.D
Editorial AssistantsHyeri HanJiweon KimJungho SuhJooyoung Park
Designing/Printing Co.www.blue-max.comCover Design:Seonghee Kang
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Testing Times for International Tourisms expected, the international tourism’s negative trend
that emerged during the second half of 2008
intensified in 2009. International tourist arrivals have suffered
an 8% drop during the period of January to April this year.
Moreover, this decline is expected to have continued through
to the end of June, due to the sector’s strong first half-year
performance in 2008.
In absolute terms, the number of international tourist
arrivals is estimated to have reached 247 million between
January and April, down from 269 million in 2008 and close
to the 254 million arrivals of 2007. So far the number of
international tourist arrivals is 22 million short of last year’s
volume. The first four months generally account for some
28% of the total annual number.
UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts Reflecting the dramatic fall in both consumer and business
confidence since the middle of 2008 - and the resultingnegative trend in international tourism performance (almost
all over the world so far in 2009) - the more than 300specialists from over 100 countries and territories whoconstitute UNWTO’s Panel of Tourism Experts gave a ratingof only 57 to their evaluation of world tourism during thefirst four months of this year.
Quick Overview of Key Trends● International tourist arrivals reached 922 million in 2008,
up 1.9% on 2007 (updated);
4
UNWTO World Tourism Barometer
5UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
● International tourism receipts grew to US$ 944 billion
(642 billion euros) in 2008, corresponding to an increase in
real terms of 1.8% on 2007, surprisingly close to the
growth in arrivals;
● Receipts from international passenger transport are
estimated at US$ 165 billion, bringing the total of
international tourism receipts including international
passenger transport (i.e. visitor exports) to US$ 1.1 trillion,
or over US$ 3 billion a day;
● In 2008, there were only slight changes in the ranking of
top tourism destinations by both international arrivals and
international tourism receipts. France continues to lead the
ranking for arrivals, but ranks third in receipts. The United
States ranks first in receipts, regaining second in arrivals
worldwide from Spain (lost after September 11, 2001).
Spain now ranks third in arrivals but has firmly maintained
its position as the second biggest earner worldwide and the
first in Europe. China, fourth in arrivals, is fifth in terms of
receipts, while the reverse is true for Italy, and;
● The top 10 ranking by international tourism spenders
showed no major changes in 2008 apart from the fact that
the Netherlands overtook the Republic of Korea, and now
ranks 10th.
Asia and the PacificExperts in Asia and the Results were among the most
negative in terms of their evaluation of tourism performance
in the first four months of 2009. But, while their rating of
prospects for the next four-month period remains modest (at
a score of 76), some now seem to believe that recovery is in
sight - if not yet just around the corner.
The region suffered a 6% decline in arrivals from January
to April and the industry generally expects the decline to
continue through the first half of 2009, at least. Oceania has
[Fig5] World : Inbound Tourism
International Tourism Receipts, 2008 (US$ Billion)
[Fig4] International Tourist Arrivals and Receipts
(local currencies, constant prices)
(% change 2008/2007)
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)ⓒ
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)ⓒ
* On a scale of 0 to 200, on which 100 implies ‘equal’or ‘no change’Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)ⓒ
[Fig6] UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts Asia and the Pacific
Sep.
6
turned in the best performance of all sub regions in Asia and
the Pacific this year so far, recording a drop in arrivals of 4%
through April. This compares with estimated declines of 6%
for North-East and South-East Asia and 12% for South Asia.
The first part of the year has been significantly affected by
the economic conditions as growth slowed considerably in
Asia and consumer and business confidence started to stall. In
the short term, much will also depend on developments with
regard to the influenza A (H1N1) virus. While the media in
Asia have been relatively quiet on the subject, even after
WHO raised its alert level to phase 6, or pandemic status, the
effects of SARS in 2003 is still vivid in both consumers’and
7UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
the industry’s memories. But any impact will only show up in
arrivals for the months of May and June.
Since most countries in North-East Asia achieved double-
digit growth in the first few months of 2008, the declines
seen for the January through April period this year seem even
more dramatic. Nevertheless, two destinations - the Republic
of Korea and Taiwan (Republic of China) - bucked the trend
with increases in arrivals of 19% and 14%, respectively. In
both cases, this was due to strong demand from China,
although the Republic of Korea also benefited from increases
in other markets, notably Japan and South-East Asia, because
of the weak Korean won. Taiwan has seen numbers from
mainland China soar since the market was officially opened
up in July 2008.
ProspectsUncertainty reigns in tourism forecasts. This is clear from
the wide range of comments - many conflicting - regarding
Asia and the Pacific’s tourism prospects over the next four
months. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a reliable
sounding board, believes that the current four-month period
will be “worse than it was last year [when arrivals showed a
very modest increase], but better (perhaps) than from January
through April 2009”. But this is a marginal call, according to
PATA statements, as the signs of some easing in the rate of
decline in visitor numbers are very patchy and numbers could
still plummet again. This next period also has to factor in the
lingering impacts of the influenza A (H1N1) outbreaks.
Among the positive developments reported by experts in
the region, several stimulus measures aimed at increasing
demand have been implemented, and a lot of additional
financial resources have been pumped into the marketplace,
and this period might see some of those actually pay off. The
lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership of travel agencies
and tour operators in China should also result in more
competitive package tour rates in the future, boosting
demand. Hong Kong (China) has lifted visa restrictions for
Russian visitors in an effort to stimulate arrivals from that
market and the Macao Government, as part of its overall
economic stimulus package, is allocating US$ 12.5 million in
subsidies for the tourism industry, including airlines, over a
six-month period. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism has
embarked on a major new promotional strategy, involving
cross-border cooperation with its neighbors and improved
airlines access.
Singapore is counting on its usually successful annual event,
the Great Singapore Sale in June, to stimulate demand in
neighboring markets, and aggressive marketing by the
government of the Republic of Korea, together with a weak
won, is expected to continue generating increased arrivals.
At the same time, eight Asian visitor bureaus have united
to boost the continent’s market share in the growing global
business events industry by re-launching the Asian
Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB). A
new agenda is being implemented and will be driven by the
eight CVBs from China, Hong Kong (China), the Republic of
Korea, Macao (China), Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand.
Source: UNWTO Tourism Barometer Volume 7, No.2 June,
2009
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[Fig7] International Tourist Arrivals, Asia and the Pacific
(Million)
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)ⓒ
8
he Third UNWTO Asia-Pacific Executive Training
Program on Tourism Policy and Strategy was
organised by United Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) in collaboration with the Republic of Korea as
the main sponsor and Malaysia as the host. 24 participants
from 17 member states attended the program on 15-20 June,
at Andaman Hotel in Langkawi, Malaysia.
In the opening remarks, Mr. Geoffrey Lipman, Assistant
Secretary General of UNWTO, expressed his impression on
Langkawi and its preservation, conservation, and
sustainability. In the welcoming speech, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng
Yen Yen, Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, spoke about the
focus on ecotourism, for the importance of responsibility to
the world and for the protection of Mother Nature.
“Opportunity Management under theCurrent Economic Turmoil”
Mr. Geoffrey Lipman emphasized the green economy and
ecotourism during his speech. He mentioned tourism
responsibility for only 5% of green house gas emission and it
contributes 5-10% to the economy with 100-200 million
jobs. G20 countries are focusing on the green economy, via
the Earth Lung project which Langkawi and Bali have joined
recently, along with Sri Lanka and Egypt.
Sep.
3rd UNWTO Asia-Pacific Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy and Strategy15-20 June 2009, Langkawi, Malaysia
T
Mr. Geoffrey Lipman Assistant Secretary General of UNWTO addresses an opening remark
Three case studies about tourism policies were presented by
Mr. Michael Jianshe Wang, Deputy Director of Asia, Oceania
& Africa Division of CNTA in China, Mr. Yazeed Mohamed,
Deputy Director General of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and
Culture in Maldives, and Mr. Mohd Halimi Ibrahim, Director
of Policy, Planning & International affairs Division of Ministry
of Tourism in Malaysia.
Group discussion followed, focusing on effects of the
economic crisis on tourism industry in light of certain Asia-
Pacific countries’policies. It was found that the economic
crises had various effects on the region, differing by country.
Laos and Cambodia experienced slight decrease in tourist
arrivals, Malaysia a slight increase of 2.2%, while the arrivals
in Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines were apparently not
affected. Tourism in the Philippines
grew at a rapid growth of 30%
despite the recession in its key
European markets. While Korea’s
outbound market declined 55% in
2008, its inbound market rose
10% by boosted package travel
among Japanese tourists.
Most countries intensified promo
-tional and marketing activities,
focusing particularly on source
markets that were not badly
affected by the crisis. Vietnam and
Laos reduced the price of package
tours and bid for big events. Cam-
bodia adopted a new tagline, “King
-dom of Wonder,”and focused on
ecotourism and culture, while enhancing its infrastructure.
Malaysia undertook a tactical campaign exploring niche
products such as ecotourism, education tourism, home-stay
and shopping.
Asian countries adopted various liberalization and
facilitation programs to encourage travel and investment. The
Philippines passed a Bill to encourage investments in tourism,
Indonesia simplified the registration of tourism businesses,
and Laos waived visa requirements for friendly countries.
Both Brunei and Cambodia made progress in the
establishment of their tourism promotion boards.
“Strategies for Successful DestinationMarketing: the Case of Malaysia”
Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, Chairman of the Tourism Board in
Malaysia, talked about strategies for successful destination
marketing of Malaysia. National campaigns were very
successful that tourist arrivals rose about four times higher
and tourism revenue rose about six times higher during last
ten years.
The Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia worked with other
government ministries and agencies to facilitate the growth of
the tourism industry, to develop policies, to remove
impediments to growth of the industry and to undertake
joint promotional programs.
During discussion, delegates spoke mainly on the key
processes and strategic measures involved in preparing a
successful Visit Year campaign. China does not have a long-
term campaign at the national level but enjoys very active
involvement at the provincial and local government level in
promoting their tourist attractions and destinations in the
domestic and international markets.
9UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Datuk Dr. Victor Wee Chairman of theTourism Board in Malaysia presents Malaysia's marketing strategies
The group that helped to formulate Visit Sri Lanka 2012
went through the methodology of establishing the objectives,
targets, branding strategies, identification of target markets
and tourism products, as well as proposed some activities and
the required budget for the successful implementation of the
campaign.
The group suggested that the tag line, “Vietnam-the
Hidden Charm”should be retained for Visit Vietnam Year.
The campaign will organise events highlighting the hidden
charms of Vietnam. The key success factors are the
identification of the most suitable products, markets and
marketing tools.
“Biodiversity and Participatory TourismDevelopment”
Mr. Jurgen Nauber of UNWTO Bonn Office and Mr. Ary
Suhandi, INDECON of Indonesia offered presentations
related to “Biodiversity and Participatory Tourism
Development”and The UNWTO Consulting Unit on
Biodiversity and Tourism for Tsunami Affected Countries,
(established in 2006, and undertook two pilot projects in
Pangandaran, Indonesia and Phang Nga Province, Thailand),
respectively.
The UNWTO pilot project in Pangandaran illustrated how
biodiversity can provide the motivation for tourists to visit a
region. It supplied environmental services and sought to
minimize the risks of flooding and the adverse impacts of the
tsunami in mangrove areas. The program adopted UNEP
recommendations for executing environmental programs in
terms of ‘the eight steps towards a tourism management
plan’. It was able to recruit community involvement in
establishing the vision, goals, and work plan for participatory
tourism development as well as project implementation in
this tsunami affected area.
Mr. Jose Filipe Dias Quintas, Director of Tourism National
Directorate of Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry
in Timor Leste, spoke on the case of Atauro Island in Timor
Leste. He emphasized the respect for local culture, the use of
local resources and the involvement of local communities.
Participants saw the need to maintain biodiversity for the
sustainable use of resources and simultaneous use of
biodiversity as a tourist attraction. The participants agreed on
developing rural economy through community-based
programs and balancing tourism development in respect of
green growth.
They put forward some recommendations for bio-diversity
oriented participatory tourism. These recommendations
include the need for careful planning with emphasis on
biodiversity, constant monitoring and enforcement by
government and the private sector, increased awareness
through education and campaigns focused on stakeholders.
Also, it was agreed that the stakeholder inclusive approach
should be adopted in tourism consultation and development.
Finally, resolutions related to the implementation of the
action plan, it was determined that NTOs should incorporate
BOPT in their National Tourism Policy, and set milestones
and targets to implement BOPT in tourism areas. NTOs
should meet on a regular basis to discuss their progress and
challenges in the implementation of BOPT.
Source: UNWTO
10
Sep.
Mr. Jo Tuamoto received a certificate of participating the 3rd UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Program
apan has numerous initiatives in place to make tourism
one of its major industries for the 21st century. And
full-scale adoption and implementation of the Tourism
Satellite Account (TSA) by 2010 is one of those key
initiatives. The TSA is the international standard for tourism
statistics recommended by the World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO). Applying TSA to tourism policy and strategy is
expected to help boost Japan’s tourism industry. It was a key
point of discussion in the recent Symposium.
This year’s Second International Symposium on Tourism
and the Economy, held in Osaka Prefecture, followed up on
the First Symposium, held in October 2007, in Wakayama
Prefecture. Guest speakers included a UNWTO TSA
specialist and tourism industry experts from the U.S. and
Japan, who discussed aspects and applications of TSA and
tourism statistics in regional tourism. The Symposium, co-
organized by UNWTO and the Japan Tourism Agency
(JTA), was planned and run by the Asia-Pacific Tourism
Exchange Center (APTEC). The event was well attended,
with some 230 participants, and concluded successfully.
The Symposium’s opening remarks, on behalf of the co-
organizers were made by Ms. Noriko Yagasaki, Director,
Tourism Economy, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), and Mr.
Yuichiro Honda, Chief, World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Prof. Tateo Oie, Osaka University of Tourism, chaired the
presentation sessions.
A keynote presentation on “Tourism Satellite Account for
Regional Tourism Strategy,”was made by UNWTO
Consultant Mr. Stanley Fleetwood, concerning the UNWTO
Statistics Capacity Building Program (SCBP), the status of
TSA’s use by countries worldwide, an OECD survey of
members’experiences with TSA, and future prospects for TSA.
Next on the program was a presentation by Mr. Tadayuki
Hara, Interim Associate Dean and Associate Professor of
Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of
Central Florida, on “Tourism Statistics Applications for
Tourism Policies and Current Situation in Countries Have
TSA.”Mr. Hara provided an overview of TSA, and spoke on
how TSA is used in the development of domestic tourism
industries in countries that have adopted TSA, and how TSA
might be used in the future.
11UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
The Second International Symposium on Tourism and the Economy
J
10 March 2009, Osaka, Japan
Panel Discussion
Mr. Honda Mr. Fleetwood
12
Sep.
Mr. Kozo Miyagawa, Associate Professor, Keio Economic
Observatory (KEO), spoke on “Current Situation and Issues
on Tourism Statistics in Japan,”in which he discussed the
need for tourism statistics and cited the example of Osaka
City where certain analysis have been performed using
tourism statistics. The current state of regional statistics in
Japan, and issues to be resolved were discussed.
These presentations were followed by a panel discussion on
the “Utilization of TSA and Tourism Statistics for Regional
Tourism Strategy.”Panelists Mr. Fleetwood, Mr. Hara and
Mr. Miyagawa were joined by Mr. Yuzo Imai, Director, Public
Relations and Information Project, Tourism Industry
Association of Japan (TIJ). Mr. Imai presented the TIJ
booklet showcasing data on the remarkable economic
contribution made by the tourism industry, evidence which
was implemental in prompting government to increase
budgets for promoting tourism. Mr. Imai also shared industry
views on the effectiveness of TSA and other tourism statistics
in business management, as well as proposals for tourism
statistics and expectations for their implementation. Professor
Shinichi Satake of Osaka University of Tourism was
moderator. In the session, active exchange of views took
place, with occasional questions from the audience.
This year’s Second International Symposium on Tourism
and the Economy re-confirms the significant role that the
tourism industry must play in expanding domestic demand
through tourism exchange, and in promoting inbound
tourism, in order to address the widening economic gap
between regions and big cities. The Symposium also shows
how tourism statistics and TSA can play a large part in
formulating and implementing tourism policy that can
prevail in the increasingly tough international and
interregional competition now confronting tourism in the age
of globalization.
Source: APTEC
Symposium
13UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
n June 4, the Seoul Tourism Forum 2009 was held in
conjunction with the Seoul Tourism Awards 2009,
hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by
Seoul Tourism Organization. The grand opening was held at
the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, Korea. Approximately 200 tourism
industry experts and academic professionals were gathered to
discuss “The Tourism Vision and Strategies for Seoul’s
Celebration as a Global Tourism City”.
Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, offered the opening address,
discussing the takeoff of Seoul’s tourism industry. “Seoul’s
tourism infrastructure should be oriented towards becoming a
global tourism city.”Following the address, H.E. Martin
Uden, ambassador of Great Britain, offered a congratulatory
speech, saying, “Today Seoul had remarkable prosperity
compared to my first visit to Seoul thirty years ago. Industrial
development has been harmonized with natural friendliness in
Seoul. Seoul should remain as Seoul itself.”He emphasized the
uniqueness of the city character and held that Seoul should
sustain its current, authentic city image. Dr. Euh Yoon-Dae,
chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding,
offered the keynote speech listing five goals aiming to improve
Korea’s tourism attractiveness and national brand image.
Following the opening ceremonies, theme presentations
were offered by Dr. Chulwon Kim, Dean of the College of
Hotel and Tourism Management at Kyung Hee University,
Ms. Chong Yoke Har, Director of International Marketing
Division of Tourism Malaysia, Mr. Ken Low, Assistant Chief
Executive of Singapore Tourism Board, and Ms. Daisy Lam,
Deputy Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board.
The presentations had a common emphasis, that the
construction of a unique and strong brand image of Seoul is
very important.
Dr. Kim pointed out the problems of Seoul’s global
tourism policy as follows:● Construct Seoul’s brand image - Seoul needs a powerful
city identity;● Construct cooperative systems in conjunction with the
central government - Seoul needs administrative and
financial support from the central government.● Needs aggressive global promotion marketing - Seoul
needs to explore potential markets and needs to
aggressively promote the city image and tourism
development related to key global markets.● Secure diverse lodging facilities - Seoul needs to restore
Seoul Tourism Forum 2009 A Unique Brand Image of Seoul is the Key to a Global Tourism City
OOh Se-hoon Mayor of Seoul speaks an opening remark.
(from left) Dr. Dorothy Chase, Mr. Adrian Slaterand Mr. HyunJae Cho are attending as panelistsat the Seoul Tourism Forum.
14
Sep.
various accommodations at diverse prices.● Improve tourism conditions to receive foreign visitors
- Seoul needs to be aware of the importance of the tourism
industry to reach this goal.● A need to develop Seoul’s unique tourism products -
Seoul is currently lacking a diversity of tourism contents
and entertainment: developing medical tourism, MICE
shopping tourism and food tourism products are
important priorities.
Followed by the presentations, discussion went on with Dr.
Sohn Daehyun as moderator, Dr. Chulwon Kim, Dr. Suk-ki
Hong, research fellow of Seoul Development Institute, Mr.
HyunJae Cho, director general of Tourism Industry Bureau of
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dr. Dorothy Chase,
professor of Recreation and Tourism Program at Central
Washington University, and Mr. Adrian Slater, general
manager of Park Hyatt Seoul, as discussants.
Brilliant ideas and suggestions for improving the tourism
hospitalities of Seoul were shared. Discussants pointed out the
lack of provisions for international languages, the lack of local
information and the absence of a specific brand image for
Seoul. Korea is planning a campaign entitled “Visiting
Korea”and “Visiting Seoul”for the year 2010. As Dr. Kim
stated, Seoul should be aggressive in promoting the brand
image of Seoul to attract more tourists and to achieve
visitation goals by 2010.
Seoul Tourism AwardsApproximately 450 tourism industry experts, businessmen
and officials from the Asia-Pacific region participated in the
Seoul Tourism Awards 2009 this year. The event was
established in 2008 to showcase Seoul as a tourist destination
and to recognize the contributions of individual members and
companies of the tourism industry in developing Asia Pacific
tourism. The City Government is planning to expand this
event into a festival entitled, “The Asia-Pacific Tourism
Festival”.
Eight different categories of Seoul Tourism Awards were on
offer and were awarded as follows: ● Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the chief executive of the Macau
Special Administrative Region, received the Best Overall
Contributor to City Tourism in the Asia-Pacific Award
category;● Seok-ho Yoon, the producer and director of the four season
dramas, received the Best Overall Contributor to Seoul
Tourism;● Si-Won Ryu, a famous Korean actor, and Toyoda Kazuyuki,
a Japanese actress, received the Best Stars Promoting Seoul
Tourism;● NYC & Company for the Best City Tourism Promotion
Campaign in Asia-Pacific;● Singapore for the Best Sightseeing City in Asia-Pacific, and;● Sydney Opera House in Australia for the Best City
Landmark in Asia-Pacific.
Seoul Business Travel MartThe Travel Mart (part of the Seoul Tourism Awards 2009)
was held for two days at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.
Approximately 200 buyers and sellers from Asia-Pacific
countries participated in the Travel Mart. This event provided
tourism business opportunities to promote tourism products.
Hotels, travel agencies and other tourism related companies
participated to attract customers and buyers to Seoul and to
promote the brand of Seoul “Hi Seoul, Soul of Asia”and
“Sparkling Korea”.
Source: Seoul Tourism Awards
Dr. Suk-ki Hong is presenting current tourism situation of Seoul
Y
15UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
NWTO, in collaboration with the University of
Wisconsin-Stout, USA (the principal donor) and the
College of Hotel and Tourism Science of Kyung Hee
University, Republic of Korea, has embarked upon an
ambitious Project to donate used tourism textbooks to its
Asia-Pacific Member States.
These tourism textbooks cover the subjects of hotel,
restaurant, service and tourism management and have been
used at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The semi new
books will be donated by this university through UNWTO
to its Asia-Pacific Member States that are in the developing
stages of their tourism industry. The individual behind this
knowledge-sharing idea is UNWTO’s 2005 Ulysses Award
laureate Dr. Jafar
Jafari -a faculty mem-
ber of the donating
university’s Depart-
ment of Hospitality
and Tourism.
As the first phase of this project, 300 tourism textbooks will
be given to member countries in the region by October 2009.
Kyung Hee University which produces UNWTO’s Asia-
Pacific Newsletter, will serve as the distribution channel for
these books.
UNWTO seeks to ensure that “rivers of knowledge”
continue to flow from the University of Wisconsin-Stout to
tourism and hospitality scholars and students in tourism
institutions and libraries in Asia and the Pacific. It is also
intended to encourage human resource exchanges in the long
term after the successful launching of this initiative.
For further information please contact:
Masih Sharif (Mr.)Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations World Tourism Organization
Capitan Haya 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain
Tel +34 91 567 93 17
Fax +34 91 571 37 33
Email [email protected]
http://www.unwto.org/asia
Instead of reading several books, read good books several times.
Stout University, Kyung Hee Universityand UNWTO
‘Tourism Textbook Donation’Project
“ '
U
” Seneca
Sep.
16
Recent Alert on New Influenza A (H1N1)n June 11, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of
the World Health Organization (WHO) announced
the raising of the pandemic alert for Influenza A (H1N1)
from phase 5 to phase 6. According to her statement, leading
virologists and influenza experts have taken an assessment
based on available evidence. As of June 21, nearly 50,000
confirmed cases and 230 of deaths have been reported in 82
countries. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global
pandemic is under way. Compared to May, confirmed cases
have increased over five times and influenza A (H1N1)
infection-related deaths have showed an increase of more than
three times.
In accordance with the Pandemic Influenza Phase defined
by WHO, both Phase 5 and Phase 6 are in the Pandemic
Phase. These phases are also distinguished as a stage of
Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic Outbreaks and its Affects on Tourism in Asia and the Pacific
O
[Feature]
17UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic Outbreaks and its Affects on Tourism in Asia and the Pacific
“Widespread Human Infection”. Detailed descriptions of
each phase classified by WHO are as follows: ● Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the
virus into at least two countries in one WHO region.
While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the
declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is
imminent and that the time to finalize the organization,
communication, and implementation of the planned
mitigation measures is short, and; ● Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by
community level outbreaks in at least one other country in
a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined
in Phase 5.
Along with the emergence of Influenza A (H1N1), in
terms of tourism and travel interests, an urgent remedy was
necessary for implementation among national, regional and
international levels of the tourism sector. It is natural that
tourism sector should stick to a sensitive approach to prevent
infection of flu because virus can be carried by tourists who
travel around the world.
Although the first infection and sudden downturn of
tourist arrivals occurred in Mexico, there is no guarantee of
immunity for the Asia and the Pacific region. That’s why
authorities responsible for the tourism sector in each
respective country in Asia and the Pacific should keep an eye
on the phases of Influenza A pandemic outbreak.
The attention of the tourism sectors in Asia and the Pacific,
however, left out the answer to a key question - how can Asia
and the Pacific region deal with the current outbreaks of
Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic?
New Flu A (H1N1) Impacts on Asia and the Pacific
The most remarkable impact occured in tourism economy.
In an article called “Vulnerability is Highest in Asian
Economies Pandemic Highlights Risks as Economists Gauge
Likely Fallout”at WSJ.com (P. Barta and C. Tejada), the
author reported on the findings of heightened vulnerability to
economic impacts in Asia and the Pacific region from the
infection. According to an analysis of Nomura International,
more than 90 countries were ranked by their relative
vulnerability, based on population density, exposure to
international trade and other factors. The study suggests that
Asian economies are among the most vulnerable to economic
damage from a pandemic. It is in this context that companies
and consumers are changing their behavior to avoid public
gatherings and cancel trips and conferences, which in turn
could result in less spending and weaker growth if it rapidly
increases.
Response from the Asia Pacific TourismSector
On the same day when Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-
General of WHO announced to the press that “WHO
continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no
border closures.”UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made a
statement that “We must guard against rash and
discriminatory action, such as travel bans or trade restrictions.”
Such remarks might come as relief for tourism sectors, but
there is no time to enjoy the moment.
Looking into the current problems regarding the Influenza
A (H1N1) pandemic in Asia and the Pacific region’s tourism
sector, this is the time to take this issue to the next level. That
is, we should start off by finding a way to relieve tourists and
help them to resume travel. In terms of rapid response, the
performance of the tourism sector in Asia and the Pacific has
been evaluated as proper, considering the circumstances. As
of June 22, confirmed cases in Asia and the Pacific region are
almost 5,600. Compared to countries in North America, the
Asia and Pacific region has controlled the current situation
very well, so far.
When implementing regulations to respond to the
Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, tourism authorities or
Sep.
18
policymakers should regard the situation with care because it
is a controversial issue to both tourists and destinations.
Sensitive response and immediate reaction towards recent flu
outbreak could be the ideal precaution. On the other hand, in
tourism, local people’s overreaction can develop into a
negative perception of tourism destinations.
Similarly, when arrivals at a destination are screened or
quarantined because of overly strict government precautions,
some may respond with dissatisfaction. To prevent negative
reactions from tourists, policymakers should consider that the
current situation of outbreaks depends on different stages in
different countries and continents. A policy of containment
appears to ease the spread of infection in some cases. In other
cases, mitigation of impact might be a more effective approach
than any restrictions such as violating or obstructing the
movement of people or the consumption of goods.
UNWTO’s Response: Importance ofGlobal Cooperation
As part of the preparedness efforts for a possible pandemic
situation, UNWTO established some three years ago regular
and active contacts within the United Nations System, in
particular with the WHO, the United Nations System
Influenza Coordination (UNSIC), the International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Department of Public
Information of the UN (UNDPI). Internally, UNWTO
reinforced its preparedness work with the establishment of
the Risk and Crisis Management Section, which is the focal
point for the coordination with the UN on pandemics.
Since the onset of the outbreak of the novel influenza A
(H1N1) in April 2009, UNWTO has been actively involved in
the coordination and communication efforts for the travel and
tourism sector. The overall objectives of the activities were:● Facilitating fast and targeted communications and
providing relevant real-time information;● Promoting consistent messages throughout the travel
tourism sector;● Minimizing the impacts of the pandemic on the sector
through coordination and close cooperation with Member
States, WHO, UNSIC and TERN, and;● Providing guidance and assistance to Member States
To meet those objectives, UNWTO engaged at three
levels:● Inside the UN-System, UNWTO actively participated in
the top-level coordination effort with WHO, ICAO and
UNSIC to ensure that views and concerns of the travel and
tourism sector were taken into account in the decision
making process;● At the Member States’level, UNWTO immediately
activated the Influenza Focal Point structure, which had
been put in place as part of the Avian Flu preparedness.
UNWTO provided the Influenza Focal Points with
regular information updates, guidelines and common
messages, and shared lessons learned from previous
pandemic simulation exercises, and;● With respect to the industry, UNWTO was in close
contact and coordinated frequent meetings with the
Tourism Emergency Response Network (TERN) and
WHO. TERN consists of key global travel and tourism
network associations both public and private, across all
sectors. The active coordination and communication
between UNWTO, TERN and WHO provided an
insight into the needs, views and concerns of the travel and
tourism sector
19UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
In a similar vein, UNWTO Review and Preparation
Exercise on Travel and Tourism under Pandemic Conditions
was held in Nassau, Bahamas on the 16-17 September 2009.
Primarily aimed at the region of the Americas, the objectives
of this review and preparation exercise was to address the
current challenges as well as upcoming ones in view of the
current pandemic, and how to adjust the preparations of the
travel and tourism sector. In his welcome remarks of this
event, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Bahamas Minister of
Tourism and Aviation, stressed that the current pandemic is
extremely important. He also pointed out that continued
collaboration between the health and the tourism sectors is
critical.
Until now, in comparison with other parts of the world, Asia
and the Pacific region’s preparedness plans have operated quite
well. Not only to maintain the present destination image, but
also not to lose a destination’s attractiveness for the future,
tourism stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific region need to
exchange information and ensure that the response system,
(such as SOS.travel and the tourist’s network alert system with
TERN) are in place. Preparedness and coordination are the
only proper responses to this global pandemic.
Basic Precautions
● Be prepared and stay vigilant!-- Consult your medical practitioner 4-6 weeks before
travel, regardless of your destination, to check onappropriate medications or inoculations, or for adviceon any specific health concerns.
-- Vaccination against seasonal influenza might still berecommended, please check with your national healthauthorities.
-- It is considered prudent for people who are ill todelay international travel.
-- Ensure that friends and family are informed of yourtravel itinerary.
● Monitor the local situation and follow local healthrecommendations!
-- Pay attention to announcements from the localgovernment of the country you are visiting.
-- Follow local public health guidelines, including anymovement restrictions and preventionrecommendations.
● Avoid close contact!-- Stay away from people who are sick to avoid
infection.-- Stay away from live animals in markets and other
places where you may come into close contact withdomestic, caged or wild animals.
-- Avoid contact with surfaces contaminated with animalfaeces or fluids.
-- If you are sick, put on a surgical mask to avoid thespread of the virus or stay at your hotel room.
-- Avoid eating or handling undercooked or raw poultry,egg or duck dishes.
● Keep your hands clean!
● Keep your cough and sneeze covered!
● Stay healthy!
● Monitor your health after your trip!-- Closely monitor any flu-like symptoms for 7 days
upon your return.-- If you develop symptoms that includ fever, coughing,
soar throat, vomiting or diarrhea, seek medicalattention immediately. Make sure to tell your healthcare provider the places that you visited.
● Air TravelPlease visit the International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) to access the information onInfluenza A (H1N1) and Air Travel.
Visit www.sos.travel for more information
Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic Outbreaks and its Affects on Tourism in Asia and the Pacific
J
n 7 May, 2009 United Nations World Tourism
Organization and Kyung Hee University’s College of
Hotel & Tourism Science held a UNWTO Special Session at
the COEX Conference Center in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The main objective of the UNWTO Special Session was to
stimulate interest and inspire the spontaneous commitment
of all participants to environmental protection and poverty
reduction for sustainable development of the tourism industry
as well as the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of
Kyung Hee University to be held in connection with World
Civic Forum 2009.
About 100 delegates from diverse sectors, such as
government officials, decision makers of NGOs, educators
and disciplines, and opinion leaders from other engaged
organizations in tourism industry, attended. The morning
and afternoon sections of the UNWTO Special Session
proceeded on schedule with lively presentations and
discussions. In-depth intelligence was shared concerning the
two UNWTO Special Session’s pre-determined topics,
community-based ecotourism, and alleviation of poverty.
Moderators, Dr. William Cannon Hunter (UNWTO
Consultant) and Dr. Okmo Ahn, conducted discussions and
comments on presentations on certain touristic issues, given
by two presenters were well received.
Special Report on UNWTO Special SessionCivilization and World Tourism
20
Sep.
O
Plenary Session Panelists(from left) Mr. Yersu kim,
Dr. Paul Kennedy, Dr. Donald C. Johanson,
Dr. Howard Bloom, and Mr. Sesh Velamoor
Morning Section: “Community Based Eco-
tourism as a Green RevolutionApproach”
Dr. Daekwan Kim (Kyung Hee
University) presented a “Sustainable
Tourism Paradigm as a Green Revolution
Approach”and Dr. Walailak Noypayak
(Director of Tourism Authority, Thailand)
presented “Climate Change and Tourism”
with a powerpoint presentation followed by
a short documentary film.
To begin with, Dr. Daekwan Kim started
off his presentation by introducing current
issues regarding green revolution and green
growth. He suggested key elements of green
growth to be the improvement of eco-
efficiency and creating synergies between
economic growth and the environmental
protection. Furthermore, the strong
connection between climate change and
tourism dictates the impacts of climate
An Overview of World Civic Fourm 2009he World Civic Forum (WCF) 2009 was held on May 5-8, at theCOEX in Seoul, Korea. The WCF, a biennial forum, was organized
and hosted by Kyung Hee University and the United Nations Departmentof Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), with more than 3,000participants from 57 countries attending 93 sessions with 350presentations.
The WCF has joined with a large number of institutional partnersincluding: International Association of Economic and Social Councils andSimilar Institutions (AICESIS), the Conference of NGOs ConsultativeRelationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), Eastern RegionalOrganization for Public Administration (EPOPA), International Network ofMuseums for Peace (INMP), College of Liberal and Professional Studies,University of Pennsylvania (Penn LPS), UN Global Compact/The Principlesfor Responsible Management Education (PRME), United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UnitedNations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Woodrow WilsonSchool of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University (WWS).
Under the theme of “Building Our Humanitarian Planet”, the forumcovered three key agendas: ● Civic Values for Global Justice; ● Civic Engagement in Public and Global Governance, and; ● Civic Action for the Global Agenda, including Climate Change.
The WCF consisted of six different sessions covering these key agendas,main topics of three separate thematic sessions. The Opening Ceremony,Roundtable on the Future of Universities, Plenary Sessions, ThematicSessions, Institutional Partner Sessions and UNDESA Sessions were themain programs included in the World Civic Forum.
Declaration of the WCF 2009 was presented at the Closing Ceremonyon the last day of the Forum. The declaration was drafted afterconsultations with academics, international organizations officials andpolicy advisers during this event. According to the declaration, to solvehumanitarian problems, “active civic participation is necessary and therole of post-secondary educational institutions is also important.”
Institutional Partner Sessions11 Institutions were involved in the WCF 2009 as institutional
partners. In the institutional partner sessions, each organizationoffered presentations based on different topics related to “BuildingOur Humanitarian Planet”. Among the eleven institutions, the UnitedNations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) organized aninstitutional partner session under the agenda of “Civilization andWorld Tourism”.
21UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
T
Dr. Inwon Chouethe President of
Kyung Hee University
change on tourism to consist of:
1) Direct climatic impacts,
2) Indirect environmental change impacts,
3) Impact of mitigation policies on tourist mobility and
4) Indirect social impacts.
Finally, on the basis of community-based sustainable
tourism, Dr. Daekwan Kim remarked that the strategy to
overcome current environmental challenges are mitigation
and adaptation.
Next Dr. Walailak Noypayak offered best practices based
on the case of Thailand’s tourism sector’s efforts against
climate change. Efforts there are being made to mitigate
climate change through strategies to reduce green house gas
emissions and a multi-year water supply plan implemented
for water shortage problems in Thailand.
The two presentations were followed by panel discussion for
the morning section. Panelists Dr. Lawrence Bendle (University
of Queensland), Dr. Seokho Lee (Korea National Open
University), Dr. Wu Lingfei (Shanghai
Institute of Tourism) and Mr. David
Mason (Kyung Hee University) offered
comments and questions relevant to the
presentation themes and representative
of their professional interests and
affiliations. Comments included issues
related to climate and environmental
issues in Australia, applications to the
China context, concerns for the need for
change in the tourism industry, and the
importance of low impact tourism such
as cultural tourism.
Afternoon Section: “Achieving a Civilized World throughTourism: Alleviation of Poverty”
In this session, Mr. Marcel Leijzer (UNWTO) introduced
the role of the UNWTO in promoting and developing
sustainable tourism via the ST-EP Program, and Dr. Chulwon
Kim (Kyung Hee University) presented a “Sustainable
Tourism Cooperation Model for Eliminating Poverty”.
Mr. Marcel Leijzer, representing the UNWTO, discussed
the recent tourism environment, and offered statistical data
regarding tourism growth. He stressed the important role of
the tourism sector and its potential for poverty alleviation. As
the United Nations Specialized Agency for tourism,
UNWTO is committed to addressing extreme poverty by
maximizing the beneficial impacts of tourism. As for its
efforts in poverty alleviation, UNWTO launched the ST-EP
Program which focuses on reducing poverty levels through
developing and promoting sustainable forms of tourism. In
the final consideration, Mr. Marcel Leijzer reemphasized that
22
Sep.
Pic 2Pic 1
8 Critical Points of “Sustainable Tourism Cooperation Model for Eliminating Poverty”
Dr. Chulwon Kim
1. To build on the principle of tourism development for eliminating poverty;2. To cultivate a spirit of independence and ownership in a host country;3. To find resources for business implementation;4. To deploy activities for strengthening the cooperation system;5. To deploy DB establishment business for developing countries;6. To develop concrete projects for each business;7. To build evaluation systems for business activities, and;8. To build a network of emergency response in tourism.
Pic 3 Pic 4
23UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
UNWTO will continue its efforts to enhance tourism’s
contribution to poverty reduction in order to make the
tourism sector work for the poor.
In Dr. Chulwon Kim’s presentation, “Sustainable Tourism
Cooperation Model for Eliminating Poverty”it was proposed
that international cooperation is essential to achieve the
elimination of poverty. International cooperation is regarded
as necessary to help poor nations achieve economic
development through the expansion of export and overseas
direct investment so that the gap of income and standard of
living between nations in a global village can be reduced.
Moreover, by suggesting the concept of PPT (Pro-Poor
Tourism), participation of poor people should be encouraged
to alleviate poverty as well. PPT is a form of tourism that has
the goal of eliminating poverty in mind, primarily through
the establishing of financial independence, locally, through
tourism.
Panelists Dr. William Cannon Hunter (UNWTO
Consultant), Dr. Wu Lingfei (Shanghai Institute of Tourism),
Dr. Lawrence Bendle (University of Queensland) and Dr.
Wonhee Lee (Korea Tourism Policy Institute) put forth their
comments and questions concerning such issues as the
problem of inclusion or sponsorship of states such as Taiwan
in UNWTO and other global organizations, the problem of
rural poverty in China and the disconcerting reality that
‘tourists love poverty’. Concerns were also raised over who
pays for poverty alleviation, and whether the Gulf States,
China and other rising economic powers are doing their share.
In addition the pragmatic concern over what Korean tourism
specialists can do to contribute to programs like ST-EP.
Overall the UNWTO Special Session proceeded on
schedule with informative presentations and in-depth and
relevant discussion. A deeper understanding was reached via
the dialogue between presenters and panelists concerning two
of the most pressing social issues in tourism today: climate
change, and the alleviation of poverty.
Pic 1. The morning section started with Dr.Daekwan Kim's presentation on"Community-based Ecotourism as a Green Revolution Approach"
Pic 2. Dr. William Hunterspeaks as a moderator
Pic 3. Panel Discussion in UNWTO Special Session at World Civic Forum 2009
Pic 4. Group of speakers and panelists of UNWTO Special Session
Pic 5. Mr. Marcel Leijzer Deputy Director, Department ofDevelopment Assistance, UNWTO
J
Pic 4
Sep.
24
An Historical Transformation into theFirst Free Port of the Philippines
ubic Bay is located 110 km northwest of Manila, the
capital of the Philippines. Because of its strategic
location, Subic Bay has a long history as a foreign military
base dating back to 1899. The latest was as an American
overseas military installation until 1992. The United States
built a small naval station in the early 1900s, however, after
the Second World War began, this base became the largest
American overseas military installation. By 1988, this base
with Clark air base nearby hired 70,000 Filipinos and
generated more foreign exchange than any other of the
Philippines’exports. Notwithstanding its economic benefits,
it was unfavorable to local people due to such reasons that it
Rebirth of an Old Military BaseClack & Subic Bay, the Philippines
[Destination Report]
S
infringed on Philippine sovereignty and brought various
negative social effects to nearby villages. In addition, Filipinos
were afraid of being the main target in any US-Soviet war.
When the US and the Philippines were negotiating for
extending the bases treaty, Mount Pinatubo erupted. This
was in 1991 and caused massive destruction, burying base
facilities in 18 inches of ash. The cumulation of these effects
led to the pullout of American naval forces from the region.
After the withdrawal of the American military, 8 billion
USD worth of world-class infrastructure and a highly
educated work force with fluent English (developed to satisfy
American preferences) were left behind. In 1991, Republic
Act 7227 to develop Subic into an economic powerhouse
instead of naval station was created. To facilitate financial and
administrative matters during the process, the Bases
Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) were established.
The priority placed on this Act is reflected in the fact that
these authorities report directly to the President.
As a result, a new eco-tourism industry has emerged,
conducted by Aeta, a group of indigenous people, in the
Subic area. After the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, the Aeta
people, once confined to a reservation, came back to their
hometown, and promoted an eco-tourism plan to the
authorities. The Aeta defined themselves as natural experts,
teaching the American Military how to survive in the
Philippine wilderness areas.
During the eco-tourism itinerary, they demonstrate their
real life in the forest, including opening their houses to
tourists. Trails, spas, restaurants and other amenities are built
in their area for visitors’convenience. All local developments
are restrained to minimize damage on environment and
debate with local people goes on before every decision is
made.
Eco-tourism is just one of the target markets in this local
tourism industry. To fulfill the vision, Subic Bay, as a premier
domestic and Asian destination, promotes eco-tourism, the
Retirement/Silver market, the MICE market, and the
Education market.
Open Skies PolicyThe Open Skies Policy was implemented in 1995 to cover
the fact that most tourists are coming to the Philippines by
air. Policy EO253 was issued to liberalize the domestic and
international civil air carriers by granting unilateral air rights
25UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Tree Top AdvantureTourists walk along the tree top walks in Subic Bay
to foreign carriers. This policy contributed to the attraction of
low cost air carriers to the country. On July 2006, the
government backtracked on its Open Skies Policy in
Diosdado Macapagal International Airport by issuing
EO500A. This policy requires foreign aviation to be
designated as official carriers by their individual governments
and this impacted on the low-cost carriers, since many of
them were not nationally designated carriers. The new
EO500A indirectly influenced Subic Bay International
Airport (SBIA) as well.
Subic-Clark CorridorThe Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is known as
the country’s longest expressway, linking economic and
tourism activities in Subic Bay Freeport and Clark Philippines
Freeport, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac. A project of
the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA),
the 93.77 km, four lane highway has two major sections. The
first section is the 50.5 km Subic Clar section, which cuts
down travel time from Manila to Subic (via the North Luzon
Expressway) to 1.5 hours and from Clark to Subic to 45
minutes. As Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Clark
Development Corporation and Bureau of Customs signed of
Memorandum of Agreement and Joint Memorandum Order
by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, a National Single
Windows program was institutionalized in order to
harmonize immigration, customs and quarantine procedures.
26
Sep.
Mt. PinatuboⓒGEORGE TAPAN
It’s critical for us to ensurethat tourism will have a sustainablemodel in the country to make surethis natural beauty will continue toexist for future tourist for years tocome. But most important is thatwe have to make sure these naturalassets will continue to exist andbenefit future generations. And theonly way to do this is through eco-tourism.
- Joseph Durano, Department of Tourism SecretaryKBS interview, 2008
“
”
27UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
With the opening of the expressway, arrivals increased. In
2008, 43,984 vehicles arrived during Holy Week, compared
to 25,300 during Holy Week the year before and 38,000
during Christmas the same year. Since April 2009, a total of
117,499 vehicles arrived in Subic Bay area.
VolunteerismIn Subic Bay, volunteerism, which was promoted vigorously
by the majority government, became a virtual prerequisite to
securing a livelihood in the formal sector. About 8,000
volunteers from all walks of life helped preserve resources
under the slogan of “Protect and Preserve to Prosper”.
Volunteers guarded homes, cut grass, maintained
infrastructure, and ran the power plant without payment.
This effort continued from 1992 to 1994 and until now, Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority observes Volunteerism Day on
November 24, every year.
Environmental ProtectionConsidering the importance of the role of nature in the
development of Subic Bay Freeport, the Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority has kept a maintained a consistent
thrust at its preservation through its Ecology department’s
Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Program (BMCP).
Also ongoing is a massive reforestation program where more
than 152,000 trees have been planted for the past 12 years,
boasting of a 94 percent survival rate. Laid out in a single row
and meters apart, these trees cover more than 1,500 km,
equivalent to about 16 times the stretch of the Subic-Clark-
Tarlac Expressway.
Puning Hot Springnearby Clark
K
epal has tremendous potential for
tourism development with its
unique natural and cultural heritage.
Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), including the
rest of the Himalayas is an attractor to all
sorts of tourists, and Lumbini, the birthplace
of Lord Buddha, which is a representation of
ancient culture and world peace. In addition
there are the two destinations, the
Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan National
Park listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. National
parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas, and the settlements
of various ethnic groups are common attractions in Nepal.
Despite a negative growth in tourist arrivals since 1998,
tourism is still contributing about 10% of foreign currency
earnings, which consists of second remittances, with a 3% gross
domestic product and an employment opportunity for about
2.5% of the total labor forces, directly or indirectly.
The Nepalese government held onto the traditional National
Plan (including tourism policies) for decades, with a good share
of success. The government had initiated the tourism
development plan in 1956 with the implementation of the first
National Plan. In 2002, the tenth plan took its development
position for five subsequent years. In the tenth plan, Nepal
aimed to increase foreign currency earning and increase
opportunities for employment by recognizing the importance of
tourism to national economic growth and development as well
as poverty alleviation.
The length of stay of tourists has been steadily growing and
has currently has reached more than 12 days on average. Most
tourists visit Nepal for mountain climbing, trekking and rafting.
However, tourists visiting the promoted tourism packages,
including eco-tourism, rural tourism, village tourism and home-
stay tourism are unexpectedly few and economically and socially
negligible. Rather, throughout Nepal, a higher quality tourist is
desired in lieu of the existing trekking tourist who spends little
money but contributes greatly to the pollution of the
Kingdom’s natural environment, littering empty cans, plastics,
water bottles and so on. The high Himalayan environment,
fragile as it is, remains at risk while the government remains
unable to identify a more desirable high quality tourist.
Case Study: A Rural Poverty AlleviationProgram Initiated Tourism andCommunity Development in Briddim(Rasuwa, Nepal)
The Briddim village, at an altitude of 2,290m, is located in
Rasuwa. The majority of the villagers are ethnic Tamang, a
community of Tibetan origin with a strong Tibetan culture.
Since 2002, through the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation
Program (TRPAP), the Rasuwa District Development
Committee and Langtang National Park has obtained financial
support from the Canadian International Development Agency.
“Homestay”is one of the TRPAP modes of rural tourism,
selected by the Briddim TRPAP program. The home-stay
management sub-committee, which is joined by all home-stay
participating households, manages everything related to tourist
home-stay, including the reception of and hospitality towards
Sep.
28
[Tourism and Community Development]
A Sustainable Development Deception or the Sustainable Alternative Approach?
N
Lantang Valley the Briddim Village located at the end of the valley
29UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
tourists, supply of facilities, managerial workers, tariff
determination and service standardization.
The local community today is more aware of the strength-of-
community approach to economic matters and the revitalization
of their centuries-old community cooperation works, yet with a
more scientific and reasonable justification. Local community
physical assets have been developed and improved particularly
through stone-paved trails, potable drinking water, waste
management, community lodges, campsite development, public
toilets and bathrooms, monastery maintenance and visitor
information centers and signage through the tourism
development infrastructure fund provided by TRPAP.
Residents learn about conservation of natural and cultural
assets including local costumes, food, music and festivals,
leading to revitalization of their traditional practices. Though
this was not exclusively a community initiative, it has
empowered the local community, particularly the women,
opened up avenues of employment creation and income-
generation by enhancing a way towards a sustainable livelihood,
and thus exhibited a strong culture of community cooperation.
The Lesson LearntTourism in Nepal has been declining since 2000 due to the
Maoist insurgency. Rural areas have been especially hard hit. Yet,
the number of tourists is not the key issue for sustainable
development. Rather it is the prospective of best practices
concerning the maintenance of the cultural and environmental
status quo combined with the management of tourism’s positive
economic impact on the host community.
The community approach is designed to increase benefits to
communities and to encourage them to take charge on matters
of local socioeconomic, cultural and environmental concerns,
and to support conservation in tandem with tourism. The
Briddim initiative was based on the demand side of tourism,
encouraged by respective popular trekking routes. It enjoyed a
higher participation of the community in overall tourism service
matters.
Positives that can be taken from the case study include the
state of empowerment of the community itself, and awareness of
cultural and environmental niches to which they can assimilated
and create opportunities for sustainable livelihood. The
community has taken steps towards activities that would
enhance their capabilities in a range of different areas, increase
the stock of various assets, and they are working, indicating
signs of vigorous community solidarity.
Source: Tourism and Community Development: Asian
Practices, 2008, UNWTO
Briddim. A sign on the way to the Briddim Village
Himalaya Mountain
Trail Langtang tamang heritage trail ends at the Briddim
30
Backgroundhi Qiao Village, located in the Dan Zhai county of
Guizhou province in China, is composed of four
communities. The Miao tribe accounts for 97% of all
inhabitants - 241 households with 1,142 people. They still wear
the traditional Miao attire, and live in the traditional Miao-style
wooden house. Their livelihoods are mainly dependent on
agriculture due to Dan Zhai’s natural environment. Because the
village is encompassed by
mountains with a river
which wanders through,
such fruits as oranges,
waxberries, and pears are
abundant all around. Its
name, Shi Qiao, which
means stone bridge,
comes from a big rock at
the border of the village,
a natural bridge for its
inhabitants.
Sep.
Rural Tourism in an Ethnic VillageShi Qiao, China
The Success of Paper Making Skills in Shi Qiao
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.), the ancestors of Shi Qiao Villagelearned paper making techniques from the Han (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) people.The technique, as it once was, has been inherited into the present. Themethod is acknowledged as closely similar to the process once recordedduring the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). In 2006, this ancient technique ofwas finally listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level.
S
[Success Stories of Sustainable Tourism Develpment ¥±]
Flower Interposition
The Paper MarketTourists are looking around
the market
Key Features of Shi Qiao’sRural Tourism- Traditional paper making techniques
- A focus on the niche market
- Farm Stay tourism as a new sector in a
declining economic climate
Tourism in Shi QiaoRural tourism based on traditional paper making techniques
has been developed since 2005 in Shi Qiao, after they realized
that demonstrating traditional paper making techniques could
be a tourism market niche. Tourism is now the main source of
income for villagers. The usage of raw materials differentiates
their paper making techniques from other villages. Shi Qiao has
been using Goupi tree while others use Bamboo or Buyi.
Interposing materials like barks, roots, and flowers between the
thin layers of papers helped to diversify patterns as well as
improving the quality of paper products. In order to secure such
materials, environmental protection regulations have been
established that control the cutting and planting of trees and
the polluting of water, all of which are strictly monitored.
Emphasizing natural materials and handmade processes became
the factors to be welcomed by environmentalists. When there
was limited ability to improve the quality found, the
government authority and some NGOs tried to supply
assistance, especially on designing paper-used products to give
additional value.
Because of the denotation of PATA, the ancient paper
making site has been successfully maintained and visitor’s
awareness of this village has grown. Since its appointment as an
Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level and listed in
the travel agencies’itinerary, the village has enjoyed widespread
publicity. Moreover, the visitation of some celebrities to this
village has enhanced its repute even further. In 2007, famous
musician Tan Dun, who won the Oscar best music award for
the movie “Crouching Dragon Hidden Tiger”, shot his MTV
“The melody of the paper”here. 4,500 overseas tourists visited
this village in 2008, up from 3,124 in 2005. It is remarkable
that such a small village enjoyed such increase, considering the
strict visa controls in place for that year due to the Olympic
Games and weather-related disasters in China. With visitor
numbers increasing, household income also rose from 20,000
Yuan in 2005 to 30,000 Yuan in 2008 thanks to rural tourism.
Owing to increasing numbers of visitors, some paper making
workshops have expanded in scale. Because 100% of jobs are
held by local residents, the roles among residents who
participate in tourism have become broader and clearer.
Households who excel at paper making demonstrate the
process and sell paper products to visitors, and other families are
taking part in reception services, performance, or catering
services. More job opportunities are available even to
disadvantaged people who take positions in the local tourism
industry.
By taking part in the local rural tourism industry, residents
have enjoyed a rising awareness of their own cultural value and
identity. Worship to Cai Lun, the ancient Chinese paper
inventor is now held at the beginning of each year, and all the
grown-up males of the village have attended this ceremony to
show their thanksgiving. This ceremony is even seldom to be
seen in Chinese Han people’s village.
The ‘Ancient Paper Making Technique Association’which
plays an important role in occupational training, along with a
local farmer organization was established in order to coordinate
problems that naturally arise with a local tourism industry. At
one time, capital outflow from the local community to outside
travel agencies was a serious problem. The association, then
becoming a representative of the village to negotiate with these
travel agencies, has mitigated this problem.
Towards a World-class Tourism DestinationSelecting a niche market, considering the competitiveness of
the village, and concentrating on it were the keys to success in
rural tourism in Shi Qiao. To be a stronger tourism destination,
different shareholders such as government authority and
NGOs, local trade associations, and the residents themselves
have occupied themselves in the consideration of all matters
related to the process of tourism development. Decisions are
made after cost/benefit analyses and are based on a long-term
perspective so that local rural tourism can be sustainable, rather
than concept driven.
Source: UNWTO
31UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Shi Qiao from the air
Sep.
Conferences and Meetings
East Asia Inter-regional Tourism Forum
CIBTM 2009 - The China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition
The World Route Development Forum 2009
3rd Annual Routes Leaders Forum 'Airlines & Airports Towards a Common Vision'
JATA WTF - JATA World Tourism Congress
JATA World Tourism Congress and Travel Fair 2009
JATA WTF - JATA World Travel Fair
PATA Travel Mart 2009
4th Annual General Meeting of Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Association
PATA Board of Directors Meeting
XVII UNWTO General Assembly
10th World Knowledge Forum
Hangzhou West Lake Expo
ITB Asia - The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market
ITM - India Travel Mart Goa
Korea MICE Expo
3rd UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook
CITM - China International Travel Mart
43rd UFTAA Congress
2009 EAS Congress - Workshop on Livelihood Management and Sustainable Coastal
Tourism - International Conference
2nd International Conference on Tourism, Religions and Dialogue of Cultures
32
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
8-10
8-10
13-15
14-15
17
17-20
18-20
22-25
23-25
25-28
5-8
13-15
17-Nov.7
21-23
30-Nov.1
10-11
15-17
19-22
20-24
23-27
14-16
Gangwon, Republic of Korea
Beijing, China
Beijing, China
Beijing, China
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Hangzhou, China
Daejeon, Republic of Korea
Hangzhou, China
Astana, Kazakhstan
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Hangzhou, China
Singapore, Singapore
Goa, India
Incheon, Republic of Korea
Guilin, China
Kunming, China
Kathmandu, Nepal
Manila, Philippines
Nara, Japan
Month Date Conference and Meeting Venue
XVII UNWTO General AssemblyThe 18th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly on
Oct. 5-8, in Astana, Kazakhstan, will bring together tourism
ministers and senior officials from national tourism
organizations, as well as public, private and academic Affiliate
Members. As such the Assembly represents the most
important gathering of travel and tourism stakeholders.
Against a background of economic turmoil, a worldwide
flu pandemic and advancing climate change, the Assembly
will meet to respond to these global challenges.
This key meeting provides the platform to debate and
agree upon UNWTO’s position on the current global
economic downturn. The tourism industry can and must play
an important role in both recovery from the crisis and the
emergence of a more sustainable, greener global economy.
This year’s General Assembly will also see the election of a
new Secretary-General for UNWTO.
33UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
CIBTM 2009 - The China Incentive,Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition
China Incentive Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition
(CIBTM) will be held on September 8-10, in Beijing, China.
This annual exhibition will provide business opportunities,
networking events, and educational programs to those who
work in the MICE industry. Airlines, conference venues,
tourist organizations, convention and visitor bureau,
technology providers, hotels / spas, trade associations,
conference planners, event management, special interest
travel, incentive destinations, and attractions & entertainment
will have a place at this exhibition. Professionals responsible
for the planning and organization of meetings, conferences,
incentive travel and events related to corporations,
associations, agencies, Professional Conference Organizers
(PCO’s) and industry media from across China and the region
are expected to take part in this event’s educational programs
and visit the exhibitions.
The World Route Development Forum 2009The World Route Development Forum 2009 will be held on
September 13-15, in Beijing, China. Market information will
be shared, new opportunities found, and start-up strategies
developed between every type of airlines and airports from
every continent, whether they are flag carriers or low cost
airlines, hub or regional airports. Route efficiency, defense, and
recovery will be hot issues for independent researchers and will
be closely discussed during this exciting forum. For more
information, please contact [email protected]
JATA World Tourism Congress and TravelFair 2009
JATA World Tourism
Congress and Travel Fair
2009 will be held on
September 17-20, 2009
in Tokyo, Japan. With participants from travel companies,
travel bureaus, airlines, hotel businesses, tour guides and
public offices, JATA World Tourism Congress will discuss
tourism under the theme “Asia Tourism NOW!”At the
JATA Travel Fair, exhibitors will promote field proposals,
introduce JATA-implemented projects, present new styles of
travel through cooperation with businesses peripherals to the
travel industry and stimulate and educate the demand for
travel in specific tailored ways only possible at this event. For
more information, contact http://www.jata-wtf.com/index.
php?lang=en
43rd UFTAA CongressThe UFTAA General Assembly and Annual World
Congress is the yearly congregation of the organization’s
members which is attended by the officials, guests and invited
speakers. It is participated in by the senior leaders of various
travel agents’and tour operators associations from over 80
countries worldwide. The prestigious event consists of the
Board Meeting, the Association leader’s Meeting, the
General Assembly, and the Business sessions aimed at
resolving pertinent issues to improve the travel industry. This
year, Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA)
has the won the honor to host the 43rd UFTAA World
Congress in Kathmandu (Nepal) from 20th-23rd November
2009 and will be followed by 3rd NATTA Himalayan Intl.
Travel Mart-2009 (23rd-25th Nov 2009).
Under the theme “Sustainability, Networking and
Profitability”the co- organizers, composed of the Nepal
Tourism Board (NTB) and Nepal Airlines Corporation are
leaving no efforts spared in making the UFTAA 2009
Congress successful and enjoyable for all delegates and guests.
Visit http://www.natta.org.np/uftaanepal/index.php?page_
id=22 for more information. For any inquiries, please contact
Sep.
34
2009 EAS Congress - Workshop onLivelihood management and SustainableCoastal Tourism - International Conference
The East Asian Seas Congress 2009 will be held on
November 23-27, 2009 in Manila, Philippines. The event
will be hosted by the Government of the Philippines through
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR). It is being organized by the Partnerships in
Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia
(PEMSEA) and DENR and supported by the Global
Environment Facility, United Nations Development
Program, and United Nations Office for Project Services and
Coastal Management Center. Various partner organizations
are being invited to co-convene Congress workshops,
seminars and events.
Carrying the theme, “Partnerships at Work: Local
Implementation and Good Practices,”it will highlight
initiatives and good practices covering key aspects of coastal
and marine resource management and how interregional,
interagency and multi-sector partnerships are contributing
toward the attainment of regional and international
environmental targets. The EAS Congress 2009 will review
progress with respect to the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia
(SDS-SEA), assess the achievements and challenges that
remain, and mapping out future actions to ensure the steady
advancement towards the sustainability of the seas of East
Asia. http://pemsea.org/eascongress will provide further
information. Please contact [email protected] for any
inquiries.
ITB Asia - The Trade Show for the AsianTravel Market
ITB Asia, annual event of three day B2B trade show and
convention, will be held on October 21-23, 2009 in
Singapore. International exhibitors of all sectors of the travel-
value chain, Asia Pacific’s leading companies and emerging
small and medium-sized enterprises meet with top buyers
from the MICE, Leisure and Corporate Travel markets.
ITB Asia is featuring the full range of travel products,
services and goods, while at the same time is functioning as a
knowledge platform for the industry with the concurrently
held ITB Asia convention and events by partners. Please
contact http://www.itb-asia.com for more information.
PATA Travel Mart 2009PATA Board of Directors Meeting
PATA Travel Mart 2009 will
be held on September 22-25,
2009 in Hangzhou, China. The
PATA Board of Directors
Meeting will also be held during
this time (September 25-27) in
conjunction with the PATA
Travel Mart. In addition, the
5th UNWTO Conference on
Destination Management on
(September 21-22) will precede
the PATA Travel Mart. For further information, please visit
www.pata.org/patasite/index.php?id=100
Hangzhou West Lake ExpoThe 2009 West Lake Expo will be held from October 17 to
November 7, 2009 in Hangzhou, China. More than 10
million trips of person will participate in the various activities
of the Expo and professional investors will be 50 thousand. 20
percent of the booths will be occupied by businesses from
other countries. For celebrating the 80th anniversary of the
West Lake Expo and the 10th year after it was resumed,
firework ceremony will be performed 2009 is the 80th
anniversary of the West Lake Expo and also the 10th year
after it was resumed. For further information, please contact
http://www.xh-expo.com/en/index.html
35UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
UNWTO Welcomes 25 new Aff iliateMembers
The 85th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council (7-8
May, Bamako, Mali) approved the admission of 25 new
Affiliate Members to the World Tourism Organization. The
new intake of Members includes a broad representation of the
tourism private sector of fifteen countries in four continents.
Mr Eulogio Bordas, Chairman of Affiliate Members
welcomed the members, saying “Their entry will, without
doubt, give a new boost to the task of strengthening the role
of the private sector within the Organization and the public-
private sector dialogue within UNWTO”.
Macao University of Science and Technology, located in
Macao, China, is the only Asian institute that became an
Affiliate Member of UNWTO at this time. UNWTO is
unique in the United Nations system in that it welcomes
members from the private sector, educational institutions,
destinations and NGOs, encouraging them to engage in
public private partnerships to contribute to the positive
development of tourism.
UNWTO Ulysses Prizes go WorldwideThe UNWTO celebrated the 7th edition of the Ulysses
Prize and Awards on the 27th of May. In awarding these
prizes, the UNWTO seeks to recognize and stimulate
innovative knowledge creation, dissemination and application
in the area of tourism and bring to light the latest advances.
Professor Chris Cooper who has an outstanding career in T-
research and T-education, has been awarded the 2009
UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Academic Excellence in the
Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in Tourism. Open
Governance in the Portuguese Tourism Administration -
Turismo de Portugal, IP awarded the First Prize of 2009
UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Tourism
Governance. The Government of Thailand’s Action Plan for
the Recovery of its Tourism and Industry in light of the
Global Economic Crisis - Ministry of Tourism and Sports of
Thailand also achieved Special Jury Prizes in this category.
The First Prize of 2009 UNWTO Ulysses Awards for
Innovation in Tourism Enterprises was given to ClubHotel
Riu Karamboa- Cabo Verde “Desarrollo turistico de un nuevo
destino”- Riu Hotels & Resorts. Finally, Programa de Vias
Verdes y el pasaporte turistico de Vias Verdes - Fundacion de
los Ferrocarriles Espanoles won the First Prize of 2009
UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation in Non-
Governmental Organizations. One of the Special Jury Prizes
in this category was presented to Business - BIRD
Biodiversity Research and Development of Nepal. Now in its
7th edition, the UNWTO Ulysses Prize and Awards is
striving to create a more permanent structure, with broader
worldwide outreach activities, to make science and innovation
more prominent in tourism policy and governance.
China Can Lead Tourism’s Support of theG20 Programme
Tourism and Travel can support the G20 stimulation
programmes. It creates jobs, boosts development and
promotes open, two way trade. It can also play a part in the
transformation towards a new Green Economy. China’s
vibrant tourism sector can become a model for other nations
as a world leader.
Addressing the Boao Forum for Asia on “Tourism and the
Financial Crisis”UNWTO Assistant Secretary-General
Geoffrey Lipman explained that tourism - business and leisure
travel - can play a role in the G20 led economic recovery.
“Tourism is a service industry and that means people - not
only in the sector but throughout the value chain, in areas
such as manufacturing for transport, construction for
infrastructure and agriculture for food”. He added “It’s also a
development lifeline - for the poorest countries; tourism is a
major export. China, which has emerged as a world leader in
tourism, is on course to becoming the top domestic, inbound
UNWTO in Asia
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Sep.
and outbound market in the world and thus has a vital role to
play.”
The Chairman of China’s National Tourism Administration
(CNTA), Shao Qiwei affirmed that China’s actions to counter
the financial crisis would help global tourism. “Policies from
both central government and local governments to boost
consumption will sustain domestic and outbound tourism.”
He added that reviving global tourism needed efforts from all
countries and regions. China would contribute its part, with
other nations, to help the industry recover.
UNWTO is also calling for recognition of the potential for
the sector to contribute to the long-term transformation to a
Green Economy, based on reduced carbon outputs, clean
energy and new technologies. Mr. Lipman said, “We account
for 5% of carbon emissions and we have to fix that in line
with new norms, which will be developed at the UNFCCC in
Copenhagen at the end of this year - in a timely, globally
meaningful and appropriately differentiated way. So we need
smart tourism that links wise growth with clear carbon
reduction. We must adapt, mitigate and use technology as
never before. And we must secure financing for the poorest
countries to stay in the game.”The meeting took place on
Hainan Island, which is being developed as an International
Tourism Island by China, with the support of UNWTO.
Jakarta is Recovering Rapidly from theBomb Attacks
Apart from the specific areas where Hotel JW Marriot and
Hotel Ritz Carlton are located, life has basically restored to its
normality. “Jakarta did stop for a moment on Friday, but not
for long. We are not going to allow terrorists to dictate and
allow them to make Jakarta their hostage”. Fauzi Bowo,
Governor of DKI Jakarta made the above comment on 21
July at the Jakarta Media Centre.
Latest data, obtained from Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture
and Tourism and confirmed by the Indonesia Hotel and
Restaurant Association, reveal that there is no obvious tourist
exodus from Jakarta nor from Bali as a result of the bomb
blast. The Government of Indonesia, right after the incident,
took a number of immediate actions in order to minimize the
negative impacts of the attacks. A Crisis Centre was
immediately established in the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism to provide the tourism industry as well as the
individual visitors with the comprehensive information and
the latest updates of the situation. Jero Wacik, Minister of
Culture and Tourism personally switched on the Ministry’s
Emergency Response System and the Standard Operations
Procedures (SOP), following the UNWTO’s guidelines for
crisis in the tourism sector.
There is no room for terrorism to kill tourism. There is no
room for terrorists to use tourism to kill innocent visitors, said
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General a.i. of UNWTO. Despite
the temporary setbacks, Indonesia, as a world-famous tourist
destination will continue its charm of cultural and natural
diversity. In fact, Indonesia performed exceptionally well last
year, achieving a 16.8 % increase of international tourist
arrivals. From January to May 2009, tourist arrivals to Bali,
Indonesia's prime destination, were up by as high as 9.35 %
when most destinations in the region were adversely affected
by the financial and economic downturn. Time and again,
Indonesia has manifested itself as an exemplary model to use
tourism as an effective instrument not only to confront the
short term economic difficulties but more importantly as a
driving engine for job creation, trade and development.
At the press conference held on 22 July 2009 in Jakarta,
Xu Jing, who was also taken to the site for inspection,
congratulated the Government of Indonesia and the tourism
industry of the country for their professional approach and
efficient capacity in handling the crisis. The current difficulties
are short in nature. As long as the industry rallies together to
overcome the setbacks, the country will continue to build an
even stronger tourism sector in the nearest future, as
indicated by Taleb Rifai to Minister Wacik over the phone on
17 July, the very day of the attack.
37UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Vote for “The New 7 Wonders”
A vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature is ongoing at the
website of The New 7 Wonders of Organization at
www.new7wonders.com, as a part of New 7 Wonders of
Nature campaign. This campaign has been implemented to
raise awareness of global attractions, and more tourism
income can ensure that these natural treasures can be better
preserved for future generations. 71 Asian attractions, out of
261 qualified national and multinational nominees from 222
countries, are nominees. These are classified into 7 categories,
including Landscape/Ice Formations, Islands, Mountains/
Volcanoes, Caves/Rock Formations/Valleys, Forests/National
Parks/Nature Reserves, Lakes/Rivers/Water-falls, and
Seascapes. This vote was finished on July 7, 2009. And the
top 77 voted nominees were announced without any ranking
on the event of Official Declaration of the New 7 Wonders of
the World Ceremony in Lisbon, on July 7, 2009.
ICCA Appoints New Asia Pacific RegionalDirector
ICCA is delighted to announce that Mr. Noor Ahmad
Hamid is taking over as Asia Pacific Regional Director on 27
July 2009, based in ICCA’s Kuala Lumpur offices. He
replaces Jane Vong Holmes, who led ICCA’s Asia Pacific
operations for eight years and has recently moved on to
become Managing Director for the BestCities Global
Alliance.
45 year old Noor holds a Diploma in Tourism
Administration, KPSL - equivalent to a Degree in Tourism
and is about to complete his MA in Business Administration;
he has worked for Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board in
USA and in his home country, including a period as head of
the Bidding Unit in MTPB’s Convention & Incentive
Division. He also ran the Business & Event Department for a
number of years in the private sector Richmond Group Sdn
Bhd, and before taking on his new role with ICCA he
managed a variety of activities in PEMPENA Sdn Bhd
developing sponsorship, marketing and-innovative
promotional programmes in a number of Asian countries.
ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said: “We’re delighted to welcome
Mr. Noor into ICCA. He combines strong strategic analytical
skills with a track record of innovation and hard work, and
we’re sure he’ll swiftly get to grips with the key issues across
this vast region and start building strong relations with our
members. He’s worked in a variety of business cultures, both
in terms of different nationalities, and also in terms of the
entrepreneurial, corporate sector and governmental
environments, and that flexibility and breadth of experience
is vital when dealing with our complex membership mix.”
Noor Hamid said, “I’m thrilled to be joining ICCA, and
am determined to build on the fantastic foundation of success
that Jane Vong Holmes achieved. Asia Pacific’s meetings
industry is still expanding at a tremendous pace, creating
great business potential for our members throughout the
region. it’s going to be my job to make sure every member
takes full advantage of the opportunities that we create for
them.”
Incheon International Airport is NamedWorld's Best Airport 2009
Incheon International Airport (Seoul, South Korea) has
been designated World’s Best Airport for 2009, in the World
Airport Awards published by Skytrax (http://www.worldair
portawards.com).
The most prolific World’s Best Airport winner in recent
Asia Pacific News Brief
38
years, Hong Kong International Airport, was pushed into
2nd place by Incheon International, with Singapore Changi
Airport ranking 3rd best in the world, according to the latest
passenger satisfaction rankings. Skytrax reported that the
final winning margins between these top 3 positions was the
smallest ever known for such a large global project and at one
stage it looked like there might be a dead-heat result
between these top three airports.
The World Airport AwardsTM are based on the results
from 8.6 million questionnaires completed by airline
passengers in 2008/9, covering more than 190 airports
worldwide. The survey evaluates traveler experiences across
39 different airport service and product factors, from check-
in, arrivals, transfer through to departure at the gate
New Policy on Pakistan Tourism to beAnnounced
Minister for Tourism Maulana Atta ur Rahman Tuesday
formed a committee comprising of all provincial secretaries
headed by the Federal Secretary of Tourism to make
recommendations for devising a new policy on tourism. This
decision was made in consultation with all provincial tourism
ministers at the Inter-ministerial Meeting on Promotion of
Tourism held in Rawalpindi with the Minister of Tourism as
chair. Maulana Atta ur Rahman said that the existing
tourism policy was approved in 1990 and it was still in place
with no changes at all. “In 2007, this two-decade old policy
was re-printed and circulated, however, nothing new was
added.”the minister said, and urged the provincial tourism
ministers to co-ordinate with the Federal Tourism Ministry
with regard to formulating new policy on tourism. “In the
new policy, we intend to make concerted and serious efforts
with the provinces, private sector, travel agencies and all
others who are affiliated with tourism to boost our tourism
industry.”the minister said. The provincial tourism ministers
were requested to contribute their suggestions and feedback
regarding new tourism policy. Maulana Atta ur Rahman
proposed inter-ministerial meeting be held in a scheduled
manner and it should take place on quarterly basis.
Later, he agreed to the proposal of Punjab Tourism
Minister, Malik Nadeem Kamran that the meeting should be
held in the first week of every month. All ministers were
eager to host the next meeting and extended their warm
reception to the participants as well as all out co-operation for
promoting tourism. It was decided the meetings would be
held on rotation starting in Islamabad next month. Maulana
Atta ur Rahman said the post 9/11 scenario posed great
challenges to Pakistan with western media singling out this
south Asian country with negative press. “We all need to join
hands at this particular juncture to save our country from
falling prey to this malicious propaganda.”he maintained.
The minister spelled out efforts made so far by his ministry
for promoting tourism. He made particular mention of his
idea about introducing medical tourism in Pakistan which
was an emerging global phenomenon. Maulana Atta ur
Rahman said Pakistan offers many prospects for medical
tourism given its talented doctors, state of the arts hospitals
and low cost but reliable medical treatment. The meeting
was attended by: Minister for Food and Tourism (Punjab)
Malik NadeemKamran, Minister for Culture, Sports and
Tourism (Sindh) Sassui Palejo, Minister for PDMA and
Tourism Mohammad Rahim Mengal (Balochistan) Minister
for Culture, Sports, Tourism, Museums, Archaeology and
Sep.
Incheon International airport
Youth Affairs Syed Aqil Shah (NWFP) Minister for Culture,
Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs (AJK) MuhammadTahir
Khokhar and Advisor Tourism, Sports, Culture, Environment
(Northern Areas) Abdul Hamid.
‘Bukchon’Project Wins UNESCO Award
Seoul City’s project to preserve Bukchon, a village replete
with hanok (traditional Korean houses) has won a UNESCO
heritage conservation award, city officials said yesterday.
The “Hanok Regeneration”project has been honored with
an Award of Distinction in the 2009 United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Asia-Pacific
Heritage Awards.
“The project has brought about a striking change in
people’s attitudes to the city’s residential quarters. The large-
scale project has raised awareness about the heritage value of
the hanok and preserved an important traditional Korean
architectural legacy.”UNESCO said in a press release.
Since 2001, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has
carried out the project in the village that covers more than
1.07 million square meters in the heart of the capital. The
city has financially supported the renovation of 300 of the
1,022 houses in Bukchon. It has also bought 30 old houses
and opened them to the public for cultural experience. Last
December, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon vowed to preserve
4,500 hanok in Seoul with a budget of 370 billion won ($300
million) by 2018. Located between the Gyeongbok and
Changdeok palaces - key royal landmarks of the Joseon
Dynasty, Bukchon was where relatives of the royal family and
high-ranking public officials resided during the dynasty. Most
of the traditional houses have been remodeled to include
renovated kitchens and bathrooms. But the basic structural
features have been kept intact, offering a glimpse into the
lifestyles of those who lived there centuries ago.
Since 2000, UNESCO has conferred the awards to
recognize the achievement of individuals and organizations in
successfully restoring structures of heritage value in the Asia-
Pacific region.
TCEB Commences New “SustainabilityInitiative”, Conducting “ Go GreenExhibition”Campaign
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has
implemented new sustainability initiative programs by
introducing the “Go Green Exhibition”campaign, and by
doing so, sets environmental friendly guidelines for Thailand
exhibition industry. TCEB aims to invite both private and
public entrepreneurs to join this newly launched project, in
order to integrate efforts in developing and creating
competitive advantage of Thai exhibition industry. 25
organizations have already joined.
Medical Tourism One - stop ServiceCenters Now Open
On July 21 2009, an online and offline one-stop service
center for medical travelers opened in Korea, making
information on medical tourism in Korea more easily
accessible to international travelers.
The online service will be offered through the Visit Korea
website (www.visitkorea.or.kr). Information is currently
39UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Asia Pacific News Brief
Bukchon Traditional Korean houses are inharmony with a modern city, Seoul
40
Sep.
available in English, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified), and
from August it will also be available in Russian. The website
provides an overview of Korea’s medical tourism, a step-by-
step guide to medical tourism services, information on
medical service providers, and an advanced search system to
help travelers select the appropriate medical institution.
Medical tourism information booths have been set up in
the Tourism Information Center (TIC), located in the
basement of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), and in
Incheon International Airport. As well as providing
information, the Medical Tourism Promotion Center at the
KTO’s TIC has medical equipment for visitors to check their
health. It includes a BMI (body mass index) machine, a stress
measurement device, a blood pressure meter, and a machine
to detect skin aging. Visitors can then discuss their results
with professionals at the center. The Medical Tourism
Information Center at the airport contains a lounge especially
for travelers who have come to Korea for medical reasons; it
has a refrigerator to store drugs and free internet connection
so travelers can browse for information on medical service
providers and travel agents.
The KTO’s Medical Tourism One-stop Service Centers will
be a vital resource for international travelers interested in
Korea’s medical services. The centers will provide professional
advice to help travelers find the right medical institution and
treatments for them. Information will be up to date and
provided in an unbiased manner. Currently it is taking
applications from medical institutions that wish to be listed
with KTO.
Tourism Malaysia Won AME Gold AwardTourism Malaysia has won a gold award in the “Best
Sustained Success”category for its highly-acclaimed
“Malaysia Truly Asia”campaign at the Asian Marketing
Effectiveness (AME) Awards 2009 in Hong Kong on 26 May
2009. Tourism Malaysia Director for Hong Kong, Zaliha
Zainuddin, accepted the award on behalf of Tourism
Malaysia. The campaign was launched in 1999 and had since
won more than 20 top international awards. Last year, the
Malaysia Truly Asia campaign won the AME gold award in
the Best Long-term Marketing Brand category. The Acting
Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’Amirrudin
Abu, said that Tourism Malaysia was truly honored to receive
the accolades from AME. “The award is a significant
recognition of the accomplishment by Tourism Malaysia
team and our partners in promoting and positioning
Malaysia as a destination that embraces the best of Asia. The
award is also a reflection of our dedication towards excellence
in the hospitality industry.”he said.
ASEAN Meetings to Boost Tourism of ThaiIsland
Local tourism executives announce that Thailand's
southern resort of Phuket expects to see the recovery of its
tourism, which has been sluggish for the past months,
following the signals conveyed by ongoing meetings of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Thai News Agency quoted Sethaphan Buddhani, chief
of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket office, as saying
that tourists will find Phuket and Thailand safe destinations,
since the regional high-level meetings have been arranged
there.
Phuket is hosting the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
(AMM), the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the
16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which kicked off July
17 and run through Thursday, July 23.
UNWTO Solidarity with Indonesia andConfidence in its Tourism Sector
UNWTO expressed its solidarity with the people of
Indonesia in the face of the recent events in Jakarta, that
targeted its tourism facilities.
The UNWTO Secretary-General a.i., Taleb Rifai,
confirmed that UNWTO is working closely with the
41UNWTO Asia Pacific Newsletter Vol.16
Ministry of Culture and Tourism to advance its tourism
sector, which plays a vital role for Indonesia in terms of jobs,
trade and development and has recently succeeded in
achieving solid and impressive results due to its rich and
diverse products.
Secretary-General a.i. Rifai expressed great confidence in
the capacity and experience of the Government of Indonesia
to quickly overcome the current difficulties, to consolidate
the rich and vast tourism assets that it possesses and to
continue building an even stronger Tourism sector in the
future.
UIA Reports Proved Singapore’s Hard TrialsUnion of International Associations (UIA) has announced
International Meeting Statistics for the Year 2008 in June,
2009. These announcements concern 316,128 meetings
which took place in 1,664 cities of 193 countries, in 2008.
Findings indicate that Europe took first place with 52.73% of
the market share, and Asia took the second place (followed
by America at 17.83%), reaching 21.67%, at the continental
level. It was USA (1,079 meetings, 9.73%) at the top of
international meeting countries 2008 followed by France
(979 meetings, 7.19%), Singapore (637 meetings, 5.75%,
and Japan (575 meetings, 5.19%). Of the top international
meeting cities in 2008, Singapore took first place over Paris
(France, 419 meetings, 3.78%) and Brussels (Belgium, 299
meetings, 2.70%). Other Asian cities, such as Tokyo (Japan)
and Seoul (Republic of Korea) ranked at 6th and 7th with
150 (1.35%) and 125 (1.13%) meetings held, respectively.
Luxury Travel Vietnam Wins Best ServiceAwards for 3 Consecutive Years
Vietnam’s first luxury tour company, Luxury Travel, will
appear at Vietnam’s Best Service Awards 2009 on January,
2010 at the Hanoi Opera House, supported by the Vietnam
Ministry of Trade and Industry, to receive the Best Service
Award, 2009.
The poll online and offline of Vietnam’s Best Service
Awards 2009-2010, held every year since 2009, aims to
identify excellent businesses in 11 categories - which Vietnam
committed to develop when joining the World Trade
Organization (WTO) - including: information services,
tourism, entertainment, technical construction, distribution,
education, environment, finance, healthcare, transportation
and general trading.
This is the second successive year that Luxury Travel has
received The Top Trade Services Awards from the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, and confirms that Luxury Travel provides
the best and most reliable upscale travel services in Vietnam
and Asia.
MPI Expands its Asia Pacific Presence
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) enhances its
global presence with the announcement of two new
partnerships in the Asia Pacific region. Beijing Tourism
Administration (BTA) is the newest MPI Strategic Partner
and will work with MPI to develop the MICE (Meetings,
Incentives, Conferences and Events) market in Beijing.
Another newcomer, Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong
(MEHK) under the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will
be the first Asian supporter of MPI’s Global Partner
Program.
Through membership recruitment, Chapter establishment,
and a training center, BTA and MPI will work together to
develop the MICE market within Beijing. As part of this
strategic partnership, MPI will work with BTA on
establishing a training center in Beijing. The Global
Certificate in Meeting Operations, Planning and
Management training practices will train local industry
professionals to acquire the skills needed to plan, execute and
manage meetings and events at international standards.
Asia Pacific News Brief
Tourism Market Trends, 2007Edition - World Overview
Data on the evolu-tion of internationaltourism worldwideand the accompanyingaggregated data arepresented in thisedition of World
Overview. Part one of the volumeprovides a qualitative assessment oftourism development in the world anda quantitative analysis of the world’stourism. The second part of thisvolume is dedicated to a discussion oftourism topics of interest.World Overview completes the
other five volumes that provideregional tourism overviews with aglobal perspective and worldwideaggregate data. At the same time, itcan be used as a volume on its ownby those not interested in the regionalperspective and individual countries’data that are found in the five regionalreports (see below).Published: 2008 Price : 85.00€
Tourism Market Trends, 2007Edition - Set of Five RegionalReports plus World Overview
This is the mostup-to-date set ofvolumes on tourismtrends published bythe World TourismOrganization. Thesebooks present an
analysis of tourism flows andearnings through 2006. It includessections on global and regionaltrends, with special emphasis on thecountries of each region. It presentsfigures on arrivals, receipts, hotelcapacities, and major source markets.
This set includes the followingTourism Market Trends (single price :€ 85.00) :TMT Africa, 2007 in English or FrenchTMT Americas, 2007 in English or SpanishTMT Asia and the Pacific, 2007 in EnglishTMT Europe, 2007 in English or FrenchTMT Middle East, 2007 in EnglishTMT World Overview, 2007 in English,French or SpanishPublished : 2008 Price : 450.00€
Tourism and Community Develop-ment-Asian Practices (2nd Edition)
Asia’s fast growingtourism industrywith its variety oftourism markets hasbecome a nationaleconomic growthengine. This second
overviewed edition of the reportprovides a compilation of casestudies of a selected number of Asiancountries. It describes how commu-nity tourism is developed in theregion and how tourism cancontribute to the development of localcommunities. It aims to improve theunderstanding of the complexity andthe related factors of the situationalelements which need to be taken intoaccount for better policy guidance.This study attempts to share someexperiences among Asian countries aswell as regions elsewhere in theworld. The book serves as a referencefor graduates and university students.Furthermore it can be of considerableinterest to policy makers andprofessionals working in communitytourism.Published: 2009Price: € 40.00 (Online Only)
Compendium of Tourism Statistics,Data 2003-2007, 2009 Edition
The Compendium ofTourism Statistics isdesigned to providea condensed andq u i c k - r e f e r e n c eguide on the majortourism statistical
indicators in each country. The 2009 edition provides statisticalinformation on tourism in 208countries and territories around theworld for the period 2003 - 2007. It isedited in English only, with countriesclassified according to Englishalphabetical order. For easy referencein Arabic, French, German, Russianand Spanish, the text of the basicindicators and the basic referenceshas been printed in a separatepasteboard.Published : 2009 Price : 65.00 €
Yearbook of Tourism Statistics,2009 Edition (Data 2003 - 2007)
The 2009 edition ofthe Yearbook ofTourism Statisticsprovides for 204countries and territories data on totalarrivals and overnight
stays associated to inbound tourismwith breakdown by country of originfor the period 2003 - 2007. The titles of the tables are in Englishonly. Notes are given in English,French and Spanish. Names ofcountries, regions and sub-regions aswell as the classification included onthe tables are in English only.Countries are classified in accordancewith English alphabetical order.Published : 2009 Price : 175.00 €