The Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Borrego, declared that we must continue promoting innovation and the use of new technologies in order to make tourist products and services more attractive
The winning candidates included a responsible tourism project in India, an innovation project in France, an eco-tourism product in Malaysia and a technological project in Croatia
Madrid, 23rd January 2014 - Yesterday the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) presented its Tenth Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism during a record year in terms of tourism visitors. The presentation took place for the first time within the framework of FITUR. This fact was highlighted by the Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Borrego, during her address at the ceremony, when she referred to the importance of the trade fair, in its capacity as one of the leading tourism events in the world. She also mentioned that Spain, in addition to welcoming more than 60 million visitors in 2013, also achieved a tourism revenue figure of 59,896 million euros up until November, featuring increases in terms of both average and daily expenditure.
Ms Borrego recalled the fact that the awards were being presented for tourism excellence and innovation, "which are also UNWTO objectives and which we must continue promoting", amongst other strategies, effectively incorporating the new technologies "in order to make our products and services more attractive to those who visit us". All this should be based on private and public sector collaboration, which "has already begun to bear fruits".
For his part, the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai, declared that “we must thank the organisations and individuals we are paying homage to with these awards for the fact that tourism is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for transformation, generating economic growth and employment and, above all, changing the lives of individuals". He pointed out that "the UNWTO Awards reflect our conviction that know-how has a key role to play in tourism and that, thanks to innovation and the application of this know-how, we are able to move towards a more sustainable and competitive tourist industry, in accordance with the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism".
Luis Eduardo Cortés, the Executive Chairman of IFEMA, thanked the UNWTO for choosing FITUR as the setting for the presentation of the Awards and declared that not only Spain, but the entire world was witnessing growth in terms of tourist activity and that "that is very good news". He also stated that "if a country wants to play a prominent role within the field of tourism it must be patient and wise and everyone must work together to achieve this goal". "Many countries are attempting just this, and they will eventually achieve their objective", he declared, "which means that the competition is also increasing and this is also very good news. It is good that different countries should compete, in order to guarantee a better tourist industry". Mr Cortés also pointed out that tourism is very probably the best antidote against war, given that when people know one another, when they get to know one another's culture and exchange ideas, the possibilities of conflict are significantly reduced.
The Award Winners
A mobile application that takes visitors back to the Port of Arromanches in Normandy (France) during the Second World War, and an eco-tourism project with a social dimension in Malaysia were among the innovative initiatives recognised by the UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation 2013. These Awards recognise outstanding contributions throughout the world within the field of tourism (Madrid [Spain], 22nd January 2014).
The winners of the four Categories of the UNWTO Ulysses Awards for Innovation 2013 were as follows:
a) UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance: Responsible Tourism Project at Kumarakom promoted by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala (India).
b) UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation at Enterprises: Arromanches 1944, Biplan (France).
c) UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation at Non-Governmental Organizations: From Charity to Social Entrepreneurship, Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies Society (BEST), Malaysia.
d) UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Research and Technology: 3D AR Visual Portal, DSP Studio & Momentum Studio, Croatia.
A separate Category was set aside for the UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement, which has only recently been created. The winner was Richard Quest, the host of the star programme that CNN broadcasts on a daily basis, "Quest Means Business", together with the monthly programme, "CNN Business Traveller", for his contribution to promoting the presence of the tourist industry in the global media. Finally, Professor Tej Vir Singh, Director and Founder of the Centre for Tourism Research and Development (CTRD) in India, as well as founder and writer for the prestigious academic journal, Tourism Recreation Research, received the UNWTO Ulysses Award for the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge.
DIRECCIÓN DE COMUNICACIÓN Y PRENSA
Pilar Serrano de Paz
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