Sustainable tourism is high on the agenda among government
policymakers, statisticians and relevant stakeholders across Asia and
the Pacific.
Specifically,
parties supported the implementation of a statistical framework
“Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism” (MST) that would inform
national policy and subnational tourism management. The framework is
used for integrating statistics on the economic, environmental and
social dimensions of sustainable tourism.
Using the framework would also ensure more aligned action and monitor
progress across countries towards regional and global policy ambitions
such as climate action and the Paris Agreement, circular economy,
Sustainable Development Goals, the SAMOA Pathway, and the Convention on
Biological Diversity, among others.
This was covered at a workshop on Measuring the Sustainability of
Tourism, organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) in collaboration with the Department of Tourism of the
Philippines and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism of the Republic of Korea.
Present were prominent speakers from governments, the United Nations
Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Economic Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO),
Auckland University and UNWTO. Guest speakers from Fiji, Jamaica,
Netherlands, Thailand and the Philippines were also invited to share
their perspectives.
Also covered during the session was a flexible implementation of MST
based on different priorities and circumstances, strategies for
improving data capturing and how to best utilise available data, a
shared communication strategy, education on how to produce and use data,
as well as developing an agreed roadmap.
In total, there were more than 80 participants from National Tourism
Authorities and National Statistical Offices in Asia and the Pacific.