Philippines President Benigno Aquino III has joined the growing number of world leaders that are part of the UNWTO/WTTC Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign, aimed at rallying support for tourism at the highest level of government.

Principality of Andorra - As has been widely recognized, snow and mountain tourism, as a rapidly-growing and dynamic segment of the tourism industry, is facing challenges and it needs to re-position itself in the marketplace by clearly identifying the diversity and multiplicity of variables which will influence the future of this sector.

A conference on “Universal Values and Cultural Diversity in the 21st Century: How can tourism make a difference?” will be held in Yerevan, Armenia (18-19 October, 2012) as agreed during a meeting between Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan, and UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. On the occasion of the meeting, President Sargsyan joined the ongoing UNWTO/WTTC Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign.

UNWTO events at this year’s ITB Travel Trade Show include a high-level session on tourism trends in the Mediterranean, the Silk Road Ministers’ meeting, a session on consumer protection and a meeting of the World Tourism Network on Child Protection, among others (Berlin, Germany, 7-11 March, 2012). 

United Nations World Tourism Organisation secretary general, Taleb Rifai, has met with the Spanish minister Tourism, José Manuel Soria, to discuss the role of tourism in the national recovery. Congratulating minister Soria on his recent appointment, Rifai spoke of the relevance of basing UNWTO, the United Nations specialised agency for tourism, in Spain, one of the world’s leading tourism destinations.

UNWTO and the Ministry of Tourism of Tunisia will organize an international Conference on the Future of Mediterranean Tourism on the island of Djerba (April 16-17, 2012). The news was announced at the Tourism Investment Forum for Africa, INVESTOUR, held during the international travel fair, FITUR (Madrid, Spain, January19).