Tourism Working Group

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Tourism Working Group

Sustainable tourism is a key economic driver for the Asia-Pacific region, creating jobs and promoting investment and development.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) tourism and travel in the APEC region currently account for -

More than 100 million employed; by 2010 employment in travel and tourism in the APEC region will increase by more than 25% creating an additional 30 million new jobs;
Over US$2 trillion in travel and tourism-related demand; total tourism and travel demand in 2010 is expected to exceed US$3 trillion;
Approximately US$400 billion in export earnings which will increase by almost 66% by 2010; and
One-quarter of world international visitor arrivals and more than one-third of global international visitor expenditure.

The APEC Tourism Charter, endorsed at the 1st Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Korea in 2000, constitutes the basis for APEC tourism cooperation. The Charter reflects a collective commitment to improve the economic, cultural, social and environmental well-being of APEC Member Economies through tourism. The Charter recognizes the significant contribution tourism makes to APEC economies. It establishes four key policy goals and an agreed process for realizing these aims -

Goal No.1: removal of impediments to tourism business and investment (chaired by Thailand);
Goal No.2: increase mobility of visitors and demand for tourism goods and services (chaired by Indonesia),
Goal No.3: sustainable management of tourism outcomes and impacts (chaired by New Zealand), and
Goal No.4: enhance recognition and understanding of tourism as a vehicle for economic and social development (chaired by Australia).

The Tourism Working Group (TWG) was formed in 1991 when it was recognized that the tourism industry was of growing importance in promoting economic growth and social development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Achievements
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APEC Leaders endorsed the outcomes of the 4th Tourism Ministerial Meeting which was held in Hoi An, Viet Nam on 12-18 October 2006. The endorsed initiatives to enhance tourism in the region are to: (1) encourage the private sector to participate in the APEC Tourism Investment Forum; (2) study the possibility of tour packages and new direct air linkages among cultural heritage sites and major tourism destinations in member economies, and (3) promote the APEC Tourism Fair, to be held on a voluntary basis, to encourage international visitors;

The "Independent Assessment of the TWG" project, which included a component on the strategic review of the 2000 Tourism Charter, has been completed. The review covered the awareness and relevance of the TWG's goals and activities, and made recommendations to better focus the TWG's strategic priorities for future direction.

Major capacity-building projects have been concluded such as:

Stage 4 of the APEC Tourism Occupational Skills Standards which developed a network of skills standardization institutions, committees, certification and accreditation in the tourism industry;

Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism Management Initiatives for APEC Economies which examined and identified exemplary or successful practices from the public and private sector in major aspects of sustainable tourism management, particularly in APEC economies; and

A forum on promoting tourism cooperation through youth and sister/friendship cities exchange. Held in conjunction with the 28th TWG meeting, the half-day forum, organized in cooperation with Japan, took place on 09-12 May 2006 in Shizuoka, Japan.

Current Activities
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In their Declaration, Member Economy Leaders attached great importance to the APEC priority of promoting community linkages with a view to generating better understanding and trust among APEC members.

Leaders endorsed the Hoi An Declaration on Promoting Tourism, adopted by 4th APEC Tourism Ministers in October 2006, urging member economies to further explore opportunities for tourism cooperation and to identify impediments in the travel and tourism industry.

Additionally, Ministers encouraged the TWG to identify impediments to travel and tourism growth and to develop policies that foster the creation of a positive business climate.

Recommendations by the Senior Officials' Meeting Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE) will be put into action and the TWG will implement capacity building projects such as:

Stage 3 of the Tourism Impediments Study, which aims to identify, update, analyze and prioritize impediments to tourism development, as well as propose measures to remove or reduce those impediments to tourism business and investment; and

Strengthening Safety and Security Best Practices Against Terrorism for Sustainable Tourism Development, a project aimed at updating security and safety best practices for tourism. The update is required as terrorism and its modus operandi have evolved since the previous study was delivered in October 2004.

Develop future capacity-building projects in the area of Tourism that respond to the Leaders and Ministers directives;

The 31st TWG meeting was held in Bandung, Indonesia from 29-October to 1 November 2007. The group considered priority areas for the forthcoming Tourism Ministerial Meeting in April 2008. Some key issues that arose include:

the endorsement of the TWG's 2008 work plan of 2008.
cultural tourism issues.
the possibility of making climate change one of the main issues for the Tourism Ministerial Meeting in 2008.

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Tourism Working Group (TWG) - Key Contacts
Lead Shepherd
Ms Helen COX
General Manager
Market Access Group
Tourism Division
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources
Industry House
Binara St
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
Tel: (612) 6213 7050
Fax: (612) 6213 7093
Email: helen.cox@industry.gov.au

APEC Secretariat
Mr Toni Widhiastono
Director (Program)
E-mail: tw@apec.org