Australia’s Griffith University Partners UNWTO to Advance Tourism Knowledge

Disseminating tourism knowledge, enhancing the expertise on tourism and climate change and advancing sustainable tourism in Asia and the Pacific are some of the areas of cooperation agreed between the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and UNWTO.

The cooperation agreement was signed by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and the Director of GIFT, Susanne Becken, during a meeting at UNWTO’s headquarters in Madrid, Spain, on 21 July 2014.

“We are very pleased to reinforce the already close collaboration between UNWTO and the Griffith University, a trusted and valued Affiliate Member of our Organization and an example of the leadership of Australia in the area of tourism research and education,” said Mr. Rifai. ”This partnership enables us to further narrow the gap between demand and supply of tourism research in a number of important areas, not the least tourism and climate change, which is a key priority for both organizations.”

Susanne Becken, Director of GIFT, said, “This agreement is a two way street. For us it represents the opportunity to link with global networks through UNWTO, connecting research from Asia Pacific with the global picture and the needs for the tourism sector, while bringing UNWTO closer to the Asia Pacific region.”

The collaboration between UNWTO and GIFT will include research on the role of Asia and the Pacific in global tourism, and the creation and dissemination of knowledge on climate change and sustainable tourism development in the region, one of the main challenges facing tourism in Asia.

GIFT, a UNWTO Affiliate Member and partner of the UNWTO Knowledge Network, is a leading tourism research institution of the Griffith University, in Australia. With strategic research programmes in areas ranging from climate change and aviation management to tourist experience and health in Asia and the Pacific, GIFT works to advance the adoption of evidence-based best practices within the tourism sector.