UNWTO and Pacific Asia Travel Association focus on the sustainable future of tourism

01-11-23

• UNWTO has once again teamed up with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) to guide tourism development across the region.

In its 17th edition, the UNWTO-PATA Forum 2023 (Guilin, China, 26-27 October) focused on maximizing the sector's capacity to drive growth, build economic resilience and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum is the established leading platform for policymakers, business leaders and a range of Asia-Pacific tourism stakeholders.

People, Planet and Prosperity

With co-organisers, the Guilin Municipal People's Government and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Forum explored the best ways to introduce greater sustainability at all levels of the tourism ecosystem. Among other areas, discussions focused on priorities such as trends, innovation and technology, education and skills, and green investments.

The two-day event featured keynote interventions from UNWTO officials, along with inputs from experts from National Tourism Administrations, National Tourism Organizations and Destination Management Organizations, government officials, NGOs and industry practitioners. Trends, knowledge, research results and practices will be used to develop policies focused on greater sustainability while raising awareness and promoting awareness and education on sustainable tourism among forum attendees and the general public, including through more effective use of data.

The Forum also featured a high-level technical session organised by UNWTO on the theme "Rethinking tourism in post-pandemic times: understanding and adapting to new trends", and a round table focused on strengthening collaboration between public and private actors. In the framework of the Forum, UNWTO officials met with key officials from the region, including the Secretary of the CCP Committee and the Mayor of Guilin, as well as representatives from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.