Results of the 68th session of the UNWTO Regional Commission held in Quito

Results of the 68th session of the UNWTO Regional Commission held in Quito (Ecuador)

29-06-23

At the meeting, participants worked together around shared priorities, with a focus on employment and education, boosting investment in the sector and advancing sustainability and climate action efforts.

According to UNWTO data, tourism in the Americas has experienced a rapid recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.

International arrivals to destinations in the Americas reached 86% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the first quarter of 2023. International seat capacity on aircraft in the region is also close to pre-pandemic levels, at 97%.

Several destinations in the region are already above pre-pandemic levels in terms of international arrivals, including St Maarten (+51%), El Salvador (+26%), Colombia (+18%), the Virgin Islands and the United States (+17%), Guatemala (+14%), Honduras (+13%) and the Dominican Republic (+11%).

Strong demand from the US outbound market has been key to driving the recovery.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "For the Americas, the recovery of tourism has been rapid and remarkable. Our Regional Commission meeting has made clear a shared commitment to make the most of this recovery by building a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable sector that delivers real benefits for many millions of people across the region".

High-level support during the Regional Commission meeting

On the eve of the Regional Commission meeting, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met with the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, reflecting his Government's strong support for tourism as a key pillar of sustainable economic development, both in the country and throughout the region. The Commission meeting was also attended by Ministers and Vice Ministers of Tourism from 15 countries. Key achievements of the Commission meeting included:

Legal protection for tourists: Chile, Costa Rica, Haiti and Honduras announced that they will adhere to the UNWTO International Code for the Protection of Tourists. This historic legal first is designed to provide comprehensive and harmonised legal protection for tourists, thereby increasing confidence in travel and making the responsibilities of the different tourism stakeholders more transparent. From the region, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Uruguay have already adhered to the Code.

Tourism Law: UNWTO announced plans to establish a first UNWTO Observatory on Tourism Law for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Tourism education and youth empowerment: Member States were updated on UNWTO's progress in one of its priority areas, with achievements in the region including UNWTO Academy courses in Argentina and Mexico, collaboration on specialised tourism courses with the Anáhuac University in Mexico.
Tourism investment: UNWTO has produced investment guides for the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Paraguay, with seven more to follow focusing on countries in the region. In Quito, UNWTO also organised a special Investment Seminar and announced the next step in its collaboration with CAF, the Investment Bank of Latin America.
Collaboration: UNWTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Honduras on tourism for sustainable development .

Looking to the future

In accordance with UNWTO's statutory obligations, the Members of the Americas agreed:

Argentina and Paraguay will serve as Vice-Presidents of the UNWTO General Assembly, to be held in October.
The Dominican Republic will serve as Chair of the Regional Commission for the Americas for 2023-2025. Argentina and Paraguay will serve as Vice-Presidents for the same period.
Colombia and Jamaica will serve on the UNWTO Executive Council for 2023-2027.
The 69th session of the Regional Commission will be held in Cuba in 2024. Peru will then host the 70th session in 2025.

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