Natalia Bayona, UNWTO Executive director, speaks to AMFORHT

The UNWTO' Executive Director, Natalia Bayona, joined the AMFORHT International Conference at Institut Lyfe in France to share the United Nations organisation's current work and projects.

Natalia's speech was recorded and you can watch the all 23 minutes of it by following the link below.

This speech is packed with information and demonstrates clearly why the UNWTO found the need to participate to the creation of AMFORHT 50+ years ago!

In a nutshell, the Executive Director explains that the UNWTO has five main priorities:
- Innovation
- Digital transformation
- Investments
- Sustainability
- Added value jobs

We will let you find out the numerous programs that are developed under each priority - such as the 'Innovation challenges' or 'Tourism Tech Adventure' to which over 10,000 startups applied from 150+ countries.

Hospitality is a key components of the UNWTO action plan, superseded nevertheless by tourism that encompases by far its reach:
- Airlines
- Cruises
- Railways
- Roads
- Suppliers to all the above

The UNWTO sees sustainability in a much more interesting and challenging way than we usually understand the concept:
Sustainability is not only about developing so-called 'green' programs, as it is also about young generations (from kindergarten to university) tourism development and education - having an educated and aware population is the only way to make each country a viable e-destination that sustains both populations and environment.

It is so much so that the UNWTO developed general guidelines about how to manage sustainable tourism.
The organization goes further by developing such guides country by country to perfectly address each country challenges and avoid generalizations.

Taking into account that tourism is the No. 1 employer of younger generations in the world, and that only 5% of the world investment goes to the industry, the UNWTO decided to make tourism education a major goal - and this is where AMFORHT comes naturally into play:
- Developing tourism academies with online programs
- Providing offline education easier to access to
- Addressing all levels, not only management

For instance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will develop the first International Tourism Academy in partnership with the UNWTO.

There is a lot more in Natalia Bayona speech.
Feel free to watch it by following this link:

https://lnkd.in/e4XPaa9K

AMFORHT is a UNWTO affiliate, and holds a Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC).

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