One of the most cost-effective ways of promoting a destination brand and product offering is through effective media communication, i.e. providing the various printed and electronic media with interesting and newsworthy stories about the destination, which can then be included as editorial content in the various media. In addition to the obvious cost advantages associated with editorial coverage, stories about the destination in editorial format carries more credibility as it is the objective view of the writer and not advertising that is designed to influence.

Source: Jubilee Debt Campaign (July 2015)

Countries already in debt crisis

Global tourism is now generally recognized as one of the largest industries in the world and one of the most significant sources of employment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Tourism particularly benefits the economies of developing countries, where most of the sector’s tourism jobs and businesses are being created. When done sustainably, tourism development can be an effective tool for stimulating economic growth, alleviating poverty, conserving biodiversity, preserving culture and traditions, and creating employment opportunities for local communities.

The UNWTO Affiliate Member Programme offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of public-private collaboration between member states and private sector

• An international platform to interact with governments from all over the world
• A framework to connect interest groups
• An opportunity to join the UN effort
• A space to generate innovative ideas.

 Why Join?

Based on Tourism & Travel Competitiveness Survey (World Economic Forum 2015)

Branding

Tourism competitiveness for a destination is about the ability of the place to optimise its attractiveness for residents and non-residents, to deliver quality, innovative, and attractive (e.g. providing good value for money) tourism services to consumers and to gain market shares on the domestic and global market places, while ensuring that the available resources supporting tourism are used efficiently and in a sustainable way.

Rank Based on 141 countries (Tourism and Travel Competitiveness WEF)

The index has been developed in the context of the World Economic Forum’s Industry Partnership Programme for Aviation & Travel, and in close collaboration with its strategic design partner Strategy& and its data partners Bloom consulting, Deloitte, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UNWTO and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Still based on 14 pillars, this edition’s new methodology is organized into four sub indexes:

National Tourist Boards are national tourist organizations founded with a view to promoting and creating the identity, and to enhance the reputation of tourism at national level. Their mission also includes the planning and implementation of a common strategy and the conception of its promotion, proposal and the performance of promotional activities of mutual interest for all subjects in tourism in the country and abroad, as well as raising the overall quality of the whole range of tourist services on offer in the country.

Most Significant Tasks

The main challenges are: