The Global Forum website tries to keep track of the ever changing landscape of trade analysis, measurement of trade and trade statistics. The site keeps a database of links to over 150 relevant publications, reports, articles and speeches.
This enlarged and revised edition of WTO’s most popular publication: Sustainable Tourism Development: Guide for Local Planners, presents concepts, principles and techniques for planning and developing tourism and includes sections on managing environmental and socio-economic impacts at the local level. It also contains numerous examples of sustainable tourism best practices readily adaptable to the particular conditions and level of development of each destination.
more »
Over the last decades the world has witnessed a gradual relocation of manufacturing activities from developed to developing countries, opening up new opportunities for employment, increased income and economic growth for some of the world’s poorer and less developed countries. However, the process of industrialization has not benefitted all developing countries equally. In the 2009 Industrial Development Report…
more »
For most islands, tourism is the main economic activity in terms of income generation, employment creation, and foreign exchange earnings. But due to their small size, islands are quite vulnerable to the negative environmental and social impacts that tourism can sometimes bring. That is why it is vital to plan, manage and monitor tourism development in SIDS, aiming at sustainability objectives. This WTO report presents a summary of the current status of tourism in SIDS, while providing evidence of the key importance it has for the sustainable development of many islands and for the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. It also addresses the key issues that need to be considered by small island nations and provides policy orientations, guidelines and other tools to the National Tourism Authorities, the tourism industry and other tourism stakeholders in SIDS on how to develop and manage tourism in a sustainable manner for the benefit of their population.
more »
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Netherlands Development Organization (SNV)
2010
With the aim of contributing to the understanding of tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation and sustainable development, UNWTO jointly with SNV has produced this publication, which outlines some practical steps that can be taken in tourism destinations to shape and manage tourism in ways which deliver more benefits to disadvantaged individuals and communities. The manual looks at the process of analysing a tourism destination in terms of current contribution of tourism to the poor and planning how this could be strengthened in the future. It proposes the establishment of a tourism strategy and action plan based on this analysis which embraces pro-poor concerns and actions and provides guidance on planning monitoring and evaluation. Furthermore it contains an indicative programme of training sessions, including handouts, using the material contained in the manual.
more »
With a view to further support governments and other institutions in their endeavours, UNWTO has produced this publication in the series on Tourism and Poverty Alleviation, including concrete examples of private or public tourism projects and operations that have been presented by UNWTO Member States as good, sustainable practices in poverty reduction through tourism. In total, 26 cases were received from 20 countries. The seven approaches, set up in the previous publication “Tourism and Poverty Alleviation: Recommendations for Action”, have been used to facilitate a more accurate description of the mechanisms that contribute to poverty reduction:Employment of the poor in tourism enterprises, Supply of goods and services to tourism enterprises by the poor or by enterprises employing the poor, direct sales of goods and services to visitors by the poor (informal economy), Establishment and running of tourism enterprises by the poor - e.g. micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), or community based enterprises (formal economy), tax or levy on tourism income or profits with proceeds benefiting the poor, Voluntary giving/support by tourism enterprises and tourists, Investment in infrastructure stimulated by tourism also benefiting the poor in the locality, directly or through support to other sectors.
more »
Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows exceeded the pre-crisis average in 2011, reaching $1.5 trillion despite turmoil in the global economy. However, they still remained some 23 per cent below their 2007 peak. UNCTAD predicts slower FDI growth in 2012, with flows levelling off at about $1.6 trillion. Leading indicators – the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and greenfield investments – retreated in the first five months of 2012. Longer-term projections show a moderate but steady rise, with global FDI reaching $1.8 trillion in 2013 and $1.9 trillion in 2014, barring any macroeconomic shocks…
more »
