SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 21 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife, through Turismo de Tenerife, and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have agreed to strengthen their alliance, which will improve the island’s position as an affiliate member of the UNWTO in areas such as innovation, training of professionals in the sector or the organization of events such as the ‘III International Congress of the State of the Art of Tourism’ to be held on the island in 2024.
This is the result of a high-level technical meeting held in Madrid between a representation from the island, headed by the island’s director of Tourism, Laura Castro, and from the World Tourism Organization, led by the director of the Department of Innovation, Education and Investments, Natalia Bayona, in which the CEO of Tourism of Tenerife, David Pérez, has participated.
Laura Castro explained in a note that “collaboration with the UNWTO will favor Tenerife exchanging experiences in the process of innovation and promotion of emerging companies as tools for improvement and competitiveness of the island’s tourism sector, as well as the training of its professionals, thanks to the digital platform that the entity has”.
Natalia Bayona stated that “tourism needs to go from being an economic sector to a center of knowledge, and that is one of Tenerife’s commitments for the year 2030”.
In Bayona’s opinion, “Turismo de Tenerife is one of the best affiliates of the UNWTO, and thanks to joint work we will be able to position the island as an example in the development of the economic model that tourism needs”.
David Pérez outlined, for his part, the possibility that “Tenerife could host events promoted by the World Tourism Organization, which could favor international positioning, as well as favor the interests of the different local companies linked to the congress and events sector ( MICE) at the destination”.
In this sense, the representative of the University of La Laguna in the Tourism Advisory Council of Tenerife, Eduardo Parra, who also attended the meeting, presented the ‘III World Meeting of the State of the Art of Tourism’, which will take place on the island in 2024, receiving the UNWTO’s commitment to support it.
The meeting focused on the support provided by the UNWTO to the different strategic lines in which Tenerife works, whose foundations are based on sustainability, innovation and digitization.
The island works with the Biosphere methodology –which guarantees its environmental, social, cultural and economic commitment– and recognition as a Smart Tourist Destination, granted by SEGITTUR.
The World Tourism Organization is the specialized agency of the United Nations for the promotion of universally responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism.
Its Affiliate Members department brings together more than 400 companies, educational and research institutions, destinations and NGOs, including Tenerife, which was included in the XXIV UNWTO Assembly, held in Madrid in 2021.
