While the decision of the Spanish government to implement a series of austerity measures to address the public deficit is fully understandable, UNWTO expressed great concern that such measures have translated into the end of a separate Secretariat for Tourism. This decision 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,” he added.
Tourism is one of the most transversal economic sectors, requiring close coordination with other government areas, and, therefore, it is critical that it is represented in decision making at the same level as other sectors.
Spain is a worldwide leading tourism destination, ranking second in international tourism receipts and third in tourist arrivals. Tourism represents 10.5 percent of Spain’s GDP, 7.5 percent of its workforce, and almost 20 percent of the country’s total exports. Tourism can thus play a particularly important role in the current economic recovery. At a time of low domestic consumption levels, tourism provides much needed export and tax revenues as well as jobs.
Travelling with kids is no easy task. You need to keep them occupied yet safe. Here are the best places to visit with kids in tow, in Colombo. Excel World Entertainment Park Entertainment and theme park with 4 dimensional simulation rides, movies in Cinamatrix and joy rides. The park also houses a Games Plaza with Laser Tag Games, Laser Runner, and Video Games of Ground Zero, a Bowling Zon...
The National Museum of Cambodia is worth visiting! It features the statues of Hindu and Greek Gods, ancient tablets carved in Sanskrit and obsolete Khmer languages, and artifacts from primitive burial sites. National Museum’s most famous attraction is the statue of King Jayavarman VII in the courtyard. Photography isn’t allowed inside the museum however by paying a small amount you can capture sev...
This is administered by the University of Sao Paulo and offers insights on science, geography, geology, history and more. The center is mostly geared towards the inquisitive minds of children. Address: Rua Guaicurus, 1394, Lapa. Tel: 3673-7022. ...
Take a walk a little off the center of the city to see the war side of Bucharest. Collections in the military museum give a word by word account of the wars that Bucharest has gone through and the revolution that the city faced. Outside, the yard displays a collection of tanks, guns and helicopters that were used up until the 20th century. The recollections present a very true picture of all Wars ...