Tourexpi
That was the key
takeaway message as leaders from the public and private sectors met for the
UNWTO Conference on Education and Skills in Medical and Wellbeing Tourism in
Sofia, Bulgaria.
Health and Wellbeing
Tourism: Growing in Size and Relevance
In organizing the
conference within the framework of its 68th Regional Commission for Europe,
UNWTO made clear the growing importance of health and wellbeing tourism as a
pillar of growth and opportunity.
UNWTO
Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili joined Ilin Dimitrov, Minister of
Tourism for Bulgaria, in opening the conference, applauding Bulgaria for
identifying the potential of health tourism for economic diversification
Participants in the
conference included Deputy Ministers of Georgia and Lithuania, other high-level
government representatives from Czechia and Ukraine, Vice-Chair of the TRAN
Committee of the European Parliament and, representing the private sector, the
leaders of the European Spa Association, as well as expert academics and
figures from leading business groups.
Reflecting the
growing importance of this part of the tourism sector for destinations
everywhere, participants joined from across Europe, as well as from China and
the United States.
UNWTO
Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "Health tourism helps
destinations diversify, creating jobs, supporting businesses and extending
these benefits to rural communities. However, this part of our broad sector is
especially reliant on skilled workers. As tourists' expectations rise, so too
must the level of service destinations can provide."
Key Challenges:
Education and Skills
In line with one of
UNWTO's priorities for the sector as a whole, the conference focused on the
vital importance of education and training in health and wellbeing tourism.
A panel discussion
welcomed expert inputs from leading academics, as well as private sector
stakeholders.
Main takeaways
included making training attractive, accessible and empowering so as to
encourage workers to return to the tourism sector following the loss of
personnel experienced during the pandemic. Speakers also emphasized the
importance of government support for the tourism sector, with particular
reference to investing in health and wellbeing infrastructure and in training
personnel.
UNWTO updated
participants on its leading role in advancing tourism education, including
through the creation of a first Undergraduate Degree in Sustainable Tourism
Management, and innovation competitions designed to find new ways of
identifying and supporting new talent.
Recognizing the
growing importance of health tourism in Europe and globally, UNWTO prioritizes
the work in this field on acknowledging cultural and regional differences in
taxonomy and understanding, implementing regulatory and ethical measures,
measuring the impact of health tourism at national and domestic levels,
promoting investments and cooperation, ensuring harmonized data collection,
considering technological advances, involving governments to foster
public-private collaboration, and generating knowledge at the intersection of
tourism and health.
Masterclass for
National Tourism Stakeholders
To conclude the conference,
national stakeholders benefitted from a Masterclass focused on identifying the
'destination Unique Selling Point', with the cases of Czechia and Slovenia
showcased as examples of effective marketing. The masterclass was followed by
an interactive discussion.
Heath and Travel
& Tourism
In the wider context
of health and tourism, UNWTO has been working closely with the World Health
Organization to coordinate the measures and messaging throughout the pandemic.
Recognizing that health, travel and tourism are deeply interconnected in the globalized
world, UNWTO is currently establishing the UNWTO Global Working Group on Health
and Travel & Tourism with the aim to draw the lessons from the COVID crisis
to generate greater resilience within travel and tourism and to ensure
preparedness in the face of future threats.
Image Credit: © UNWTO
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