Summit on City Tourism to Focus on Innovation and New Business Models

The upcoming 2nd UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism, “Innovative strategies for improving competitiveness and the development of new business models” in Moscow, capital city of the Russian Federation, (19-20 September 2013) will set the stage for the second phase of the “Cities project initiated by UNWTO last year.

Organized in conjunction with the Moscow City Government Committee on Tourism and Hotel Industry, the Summit will provide a platform for the presentation of the second phase of the UNWTO “Cities” project. How to measure the impact of tourism on cities and how to create new tourism products in urban areas are among the highlights of the event.

“City tourism has become a strategic element in urban planning and management,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “This second summit is a good opportunity to further our initial efforts in city tourism to enhance urban development, involving all relevant stakeholders, ranging from the private supply to the public of policy.”

The event includes the presentation of a prototype developed in collaboration with the Madrid Visitors and Convention Bureau and the UNWTO Affiliate Members - Madrid Precious Time – as a first attempt to establish models revolving around specific areas which can be replicated in other destinations. One of the central elements of this approach is its public-private partnership component.

A new feature of the Summit will be a Speed Networking session aimed to encourage direct contact and further exchange among participants.

This event follows UNWTO’s collaboration with 21 cities worldwide which resulted in the publication of the Global Report on City Tourism (1st UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism, Istanbul, Turkey, November 2012).