G20 Leaders have recognized the contribution of tourism to shared prosperity and sustainability at the first Summit held in Africa under the Presidency of South Africa.
The G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration includes an important set of commitments to advance tourism as a key driver of inclusive and sustainable development with a focus on:
- Promoting innovation and Investment
- Enhancing air connectivity, market access and new routes
- Supporting the digitalization of tourism start-ups and MSMEs
- Unlocking financing for sustainable tourism
- Creating opportunities for youth, women, people in vulnerable situations, local communities and Indigenous Peoples
- Developing inclusive and sustainable tourism practices
- Mobilizing public-private capital for sustainability alignment investment, and
- Integrating tourism in national development strategies
The G20 economies represent around 70% of international tourism, and so this clear recognition of our sector’s importance to shared prosperity and sustainability is hugely welcome. We are particularly encouraged to see G20 Leaders intent to work on more and better connectivity between destinations, accelerating innovation and the shift to digital, ensuring the sector leaves no one behind and placing tourism in national development strategies. Great strides were made by South Africa’s G20 Presidency. I would like to congratulate HE President Cyril Ramaphosa for an outstanding Presidency, the first in Africa, and Minister Patricia DeLille for her leadership in the tourism track. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili
In the Declaration, G20 Leaders highlight their strong support for tourism innovation and investment, enhancing air connectivity, expanding market access, opening more routes, promoting sustainability, aviation safety and security while ensuring fair competition and policy coordination, facilitating people-to-people contacts and developing inclusive, sustainable tourism practices, as well as advancing digital innovation to enhance travel and tourism start-ups and MSMEs.
G20 Leaders further commit to work to promote and expand opportunities for youth, women, people in vulnerable situations, local communities and Indigenous Peoples, as appropriate, with a practical and evidence-based approach.
They emphasize the importance of integrating tourism into national development strategies and the need to unlock financing for sustainable tourism and call for the mobilization of public-private capital through transparent, predictable, and sustainability-aligned investment environments.
UN Tourism as South Africa G20 Presidency Knowledge Partner
UN Tourism is honored to have worked with the South African G20 Presidency as a Knowledge Partner and contributed to the discussions at the Tourism Working Group and the Tourism Ministers Meeting held last September.
Last September, Tourism Ministers gathered in Mpumalanga committed to advancing policies that foster a sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector, namely in terms of:
- Digital innovation to enhance travel and tourism start-ups and MSME
- Tourism financing and investment to enhance equality and promote sustainable development
- Air Connectivity for Seamless Travel
- Enhancing resilience for inclusive, sustainable tourism development
The G20 represents around 70% of all international tourist arrivals and exports from tourism.
Tourism accounts for 3.1% of the total GDP of the G20, 5% of all exports, and 21% of all service exports.
About UN Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), a United Nations specialised agency, is the leading international organisation with the decisive and central role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how. Its membership includes 166 countries, 6 territories, 2 permanent observers and over 500 Affiliate Members from the private sector.
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