|
While the decision of the Spanish Government to
implement a series of austerity measures to address the public
deficit is fully understandable, the UNWTO has expressed
concern that such measures have translated into the end of a
separate Secretariat for Tourism.
This decision, the UNWTO says, sends out the
wrong message to the market and comes at a critical moment, at the
beginning of the tourism high season and as the sector still
struggles to recover from the loses of 2009.
“UNWTO strongly advocates the importance of
building strong national tourism administrations which can fully
maximize the potential of tourism to generate wealth and create
jobs,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “This has been
recognized by many countries worldwide. Countries such as
Argentina, Greece and Italy have all upgraded tourism to a full
ministerial portfolio. It is not understandable that Spain, a
leading tourism destination, would do the reverse.”
Spain is a worldwide leading tourism
destination, ranking second in international tourism receipts and
third in tourist arrivals. Tourism represents 10.5% of Spain’s
GDP, 7.5% of its workforce and almost 20% of the country’s total
exports.
See other recent news regarding:
Airlines,
Airports,
Awards,
Flights,
Codeshare,
Lounges,
First Class,
Business Class,
MICE,
GDS,
Rewards,
Miles,
Hotels,
Apartments,
Promotions,
Spas,
Yoga,
Retreat,
New Hotels,
Traffic,
Visitor Arrivals,
Cruises,
Free Deals,
Videos,
UNWTO,
Spain
|
