United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Tourism Must Be Prepared For Avian Flu
Tourism has to be ready to participate in the international fight to contain the effects of avian flu given the potentially serious threat it poses to the travel industry, Geoffrey Lipman, Special Advisor to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, told the Exclusive Travel Conference in Athens last weekend.
“We in the tourism sector are fundamentally exposed – both as a result of market response and potential regulatory controls on movement in affected regions,” he said.
“We must be prepared to respond positively to global community initiatives, while seeking to minimize exposure through good planning, informed dialogue and model response programmes.”
Mr Lipman, who earlier this month represented UNWTO at the international donor conference in Beijing, where resources and funds were offered to fight the spread of avian flu, said that as the UN agency responsible for tourism “UNWTO is gearing up to play its proper part in this global response.”
This involves “working closely with Ministries of Tourism and stakeholders in the private sector and civil society to build tourism into national preparedness programmes and to send vital messages through our communications channels”.
Despite current fears about avian flu, he reassured delegates that tourism had shown “incredible resilience over the past five years of almost continual crisis” – from terrorism to recession – “tracking the annual average growth forecasts of 4% to 5% with remarkable consistency”.
During this period the luxury end of the travel market had proved to be the most resilient and the fastest growing segment. To support UNWTO in its mission to help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, he called on travel companies involved in the sector to “share your successes with those in the world’s poorest countries”.
In the case of Africa, tourism is among the top export earners for the majority of states and is an industry “that can stimulate jobs and earnings across an economy,” he said.
By helping Africa to triple its tourism export income by 2015 – compared to the current forecast of doubling – spending on tourism could also encourage investment in new infrastructure, especially in aiding health and rural improvements.
Graham Muldoon
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations