12 November 2008: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),
in partnership with the World Travel Market, held a Ministers’ Summit at the
World Travel Market in London, UK, on 11 November 2008, under the theme
“Responding to the Economic Downturn and Staying on Course with the Climate and
Poverty Reduction Agenda.” During the meeting, a new UNWTO Resilience Committee
was announced.

The Committee will monitor, analyze and exchange information on
macroeconomic and tourism trends and responses to these trends. Summit
participants agreed on the need for innovation, collaboration and fortified
public-private cooperation in the face of global macroeconomic developments.
Speaking at the Summit, UNWTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli stressed
the role tourism can play in reducing poverty and fighting climate change,
noting that poor countries will need “more than ever the wealth and jobs that
tourism provides for them.”
Also during the Summit, the UNWTO and the EU
launched the Excellence in Energy Efficiency for the Tourism Industry project.
The initiative, which is also supported by the UN Environment Programme, will
research and develop an energy efficiency toolkit for use in the EU
accommodation sector. The toolkit will be targeted at small and medium hotels,
and will include a benchmarking system as well as a methodology to aid in the
prioritization of investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The Summit
will be followed by a series of regional summits focused on the impacts of the
economic downturn, climate change and development, as well as action by the
tourism sector. [UNWTO
Ministers’ Summit Website] [Press Release on Resilience Committee] [UNWTO Press Release on the Energy Efficiency Project]