SANTO DOMINGO.- Sustainability in tourism, in the pursuit of developing more environmentally friendly tourist destinations, will be the main topic discussed by world tourism leaders meeting from Tuesday the 16th to Thursday the 18th in Punta Cana, where the 118th Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will be held for the first time in the Dominican Republic.
According to a press release, the event will also serve as a forum for all industry stakeholders and representatives from the host country to analyze the progress, experiences, strategies, and challenges for the future
Sustainability and related issues will be addressed today, Tuesday, by authorities and tourism stakeholders in the country at the "Interinstitutional Forum on Sustainable Tourism in the Dominican Republic," which will be inaugurated by David Collado, Minister of Tourism, and the Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, at the Meliá Caribe Beach Resorts Punta Cana.
The opening of the event will be led by Collado, and will be attended by ministers and delegations from UNWTO member countries, according to a press release.
Program
The activities of this forum will begin with an introductory session that will have as its first presentation: "Tourism for the Sustainable Development Goals", by Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Director of the UNWTO (France).
The second presentation will address the topic: "Sustainability of Dominican Tourism. Conclusions of the project Transforming tourism value chains in developing countries and small island states," with Lisset Gil, Sustainability consultant and director of the Transtur Project—supported by Tourcert, the German Federal Ministry for International Cooperation, and KATE—as the speaker.
According to Collado, the forum, like the Executive Council meeting, will be an opportunity to convey to the world "how the country has become the leader of that industry in the region.".
Through this space, representatives from the public and private sectors linked to the environment, tourism and biodiversity will conduct panels in which they will discuss, among other topics, how Dominican tourism, along with the leadership and growth achieved, is focusing on a more sustainable, rational, coherent and responsible proposal, as currently demanded by the times at a global level.
Topics to be discussed include the sustainability of Dominican tourism; the consequences of climate change; water, a challenge for Dominican tourism; and the protection of biodiversity, among others.
This forum will take place within the framework of and prior to the UNWTO Executive Council meeting, to be held on Wednesday the 17th, after the official opening of the event, which will be hosted by the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort, Punta Cana.
Executive Council
Within the framework of the Executive Council, the thematic session "New Narratives in Tourism" will take place on Thursday, May 18, at 10:00 a.m., an event in which communication leaders will show how tourism adapts its image, messages and communication channels to the demands of a more technological, demanding and committed public.
Among its objectives, with its content and debates, this activity aims to be a useful tool to guide tourism authorities and professionals so that their communication strategies show their evolution towards a more resilient and supportive sector.
At the same time, it provides a platform for governments, tourism authorities, and private entities to exchange experiences and ideas on how communication can convey the message of a more innovative, sustainable, and people-centered tourism sector by integrating new tools and concepts.
