The Barcelona Tourism Observatory is now part of UNWTO’s International Network of Sustainable Development Observatories (INSTO) to help the tourism sector move towards greater sustainability.
Barcelona is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Europe while this sector represents 10% of the local GDP, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
The recent decision will also help Barcelona recover from the damage caused by the Coronavirus and its new strains and cope with a large number of international visitors.
In this regard, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “We warmly welcome Barcelona to our growing global network of observatories.”
“As one of the world’s top destinations, the Observatory can help Barcelona better manage its tourism sector, recover and grow in a more sustainable way for the benefit of visitors and residents alike.” Pololikashvili emphasized in this regard.
President of the Turisme de Barcelona Executive Committee, Eduard Torres, stressed that the recent decision highlights the importance of Barcelona’s international role in the tourism industry.
Being part of the network will help Barcelona City Council make data-driven decisions to achieve visitor economy management goals within local economy sustainability frameworks “as well as to increase the yield and the benefits for the citizens”, according to the councilor for tourism and creative industries of the Barcelona City Council, Xavier Marcé.
In this regard, the president of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, Núria Marín, pointed out “the need to connect the city of Barcelona with the rest of the province of Barcelona under the concept of Destination Barcelona to analyze the broader reality of tourist activity.”
The International Network of Sustainable Development Observatories was created to support the improvement of sustainability in the tourism industry.
Authorities in European countries are constantly trying to find new ways to help future sustainable tourism.
Previously, authorities from many countries around the world held a meeting to discuss new ways to help invest in the sustainable future of the travel and tourism industry.
The summit was held in November in London, when it hosted numerous leaders, entrepreneurs and experts from the World Travel & Tourism Council and the World Travel Market (WTM), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) .
Regarding the issue previously, the Council of the European Union has called on the European Commission and Member States to present a common European Agenda for Tourism 2030/2050 to help the ecosystem of green tourism in Europe.
