UNWTO activities at FITUR 2012

Signalling the beginning of the international tourism calendar for 2012, UNWTO will hold a number of activities at the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR, addressing key issues facing the sector in times of uncertainty (Madrid, Spain, 18-22 January, 2012).

UNWTO Press Conference – Latest International Tourism Figures and Outlook for 2012 (16 January, 12.30 – 13.30, UNWTO Headquarters)

FITUR 2012 will be preceded by UNWTO's annual press conference at the Organization's headquarters in Madrid, at which UNWTO will present the latest edition of its World Tourism Barometer, providing an overview of international tourism results for 2011 and forecasts for 2012.

Exceltur's 6^th Tourism Leadership Forum – Tourism Driving Growth and Employment: Policies to Stimulate Competitiveness (17 January, 09.15 – 18.30, Rooms N104-N105)

Organized by Exceltur and UNWTO on the eve of FITUR, the Forum will bring together leading tourism experts to debate policies adopted by countries in which tourism has been identified as a priority to drive growth and create employment; consider new public/private partnership models in tourism; as well as outline the tourism trends expected for 2012 and the impact of the current economic situation on tourism demand.

Tourism Investment Forum for the Americas (18 January) and Africa (19 January) – INVESTOUR

The Americas will hold their first Tourism Investment Forum (INVESTOUR) event at FITUR 2012, with business-to-business meetings taking place on 18 January in the Hall of the Americas (time to be confirmed).

For more information on INVESTOUR for the Americas, contact [email protected]

INVESTOUR for Africa, organized by UNWTO together with FITUR and Casa Africa, will hold its third edition at FITUR 2012, promoting sustainable tourism development in Africa (19 January, 09.30 – 19.30, Rooms N115-N116).

The event, consisting of a seminar and business-to-business meetings, positions the African continent to attract tourism investment, allowing destinations to present their offer to potential investors. At the same time, the event highlights the importance of investment for economic growth, sustainable development and job creation across the region.

Women's Empowerment in the Tourism Sector – An Engine for Development, Panel Discussion (19 January, 11.00 – 12-30, Room N101)

In early 2011, UNWTO and UN Women released the Global Report on Women and Tourism, the first study to map women's participation in the tourism sector worldwide. At FITUR 2012, experts will debate tourism's capacity to foster gender equality and women's independence, while examining current challenges and opportunities in the sector in light of the five main themes of the report – Employment, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Education and Community.

FITUR Green 2012 – Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) (19 January, 11.30 – 12-00, Hall 10)

Following the success of previous editions, FITUR Green, organized in collaboration with UNWTO, the Hotel Technological Institute (ITH) and the Madrid Tourist Board, will once again be showing the tourism sector how it can cut costs by becoming more sustainable.

The UNWTO-initiated Hotel Energy Solutions (HES), which provides hoteliers with tools to measure their energy consumption and provides solutions to reduce their carbon footprint while boosting business profits, will be presented during FITUR Green.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Joint UNWTO/FITUR Silk Road Gymkhana (21 January, Silk Road Stands)

Visitors at FITUR 2012 will have the opportunity to participate in a treasure hunt, moving from stand to stand and taking part in a number of tests in order to win prizes. Silk Road destinations will be among those stands participating and using this opportunity to showcase their tourism attractions.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Please visit the UNWTO stand at FITUR: 8D22

About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.