The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh is hosting the 25th Joint Commission Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Commission for East Asia and Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia in Hyderabad from the 12 – 14 April 2013. As part of this event, this Ministry in association with UNWTO is also organising the UNWTO Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development to focus on this critical subject. The Minister of Tourism from Cambodia, the Secretary General of UNWTO, the CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) are amongst the dignitaries participating in the Conference.
Over 250 delegates are expected to participate in the Sustainable Tourism Conference. These will include UNWTO delegates as well as representatives from State Governments & Union Territories and private stakeholders from the travel and hospitality industries. The Joint Commission Meeting will have approximately 100-125 delegates from the UNWTO member countries.
Confirmed participants in the Conference, as on date, include delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, LAO PDR, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
India is currently the chairperson of the UNWTO Regional Commission for South Asia. The UNWTO Joint Commission Meeting will bring together delegates from member countries and give them an opportunity to review the tourism performance of the region and deliberate on measures for further development.
As a commitment to Safe and Sustainable Tourism Development, India has developed a code for “Safe & Honorable Tourism” and Sustainable Tourism Criteria for the Accommodation and Tour Operators sectors. The UNWTO Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development will include a global review on sustainable tourism development and sustainable practices as well an industry and media perspective on sustainable criteria for tourism.
In addition to the meetings, various events have been organised to give the visiting delegates a glimpse of the rich culture and cuisine of the country. These include dinners and cultural programmes at the Taramati Baradari, Golconda Fort, Shilparamam and Ramoji Film City as well as a tour to the Buddhist Heritage sites at Nagarjuna Sagar and Nagarjuna Konda.
The event will provide a great opportunity for the State of Andhra Pradesh and particularly the city of Hyderabad to showcase the varied attractions and facilities to the international tourism fraternity and would help in promoting tourism to the State.
