international conference «prospects for development of rural tourism in europe» kielce, poland, 20...
TRANSCRIPT
International Conference«Prospects for Development of Rural Tourism in Europe»
Kielce, Poland, 20 April 2012
UNWTO
1. The UN specialized agency in the field of tourism
2. 155 Member States (44 Member States from the European region) and more than 400 Affiliate Members
TOURISM
•Responsible
•Sustainable
•Universally accesible
International tourist arrivals and receipts evolution
25 mln.2 billion USD
900 billion USD
Arrivals Receipts
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
International tourist arrivals
7,9
-0,1
3,0
-1,6
10,3
5,9 5,66,6
-3.8
4,4
6.6
2,1
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012*
Forecast
2012: 3% to 4%
Outlook: World ch
ange
(%
)
International tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion by 2030
Long history of rural tourism events
CEU-ETC Joint Seminar on Rural Tourism (Israel, June 1996)
Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Experiences and Perspectives (Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, June 2002)
Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Pathway to Sustainable Development (Kielce, Poland, June 2003)
Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Guidelines for Development (Yaremcha, Ukraine, September 2003)
International Forum on Rural Tourism (Guiyang, China, September 2006)
First Romanian Congress on Rural Tourism (Alba-Iulia, Romania, May 2011)
Internatonal Conference on Sustainability of Rural Tourism (Belgrade, Serbia, February 2012)
Consumer’s behaviour changes
77%
Trips are shorter and closer to home and familiar destinations
Travel is organised individually instead of going for the organized trips
Cars, trains and coaches are preferred instead of planes
Country houses or similar are used instead of hotels Increased concern for safety and security
More mature and experienced travellers
An aging population
An increased attention to the sustainable development of tourism
Benefits of rural tourism
77%
Conserve and create employment, helping to halt depopulation;
Enhance the role of women;
Diversify the local economy, creating wealth which compensates for declining agricultural income;
Help create and maintain the typical small business of the area;
Reroute tourism earnings to country communities – from a tourism planning viewpoint, the rural component helps to diversify the offer and reduce coastal overcrowding;
Conserve local services and stimulate their improvement;
Conserve the historic, architectural, gastronomic and cultural heritage of the area;
Conserve nature, maintain the landscape and improve the environment;
Enhance understanding and create friendships between locals and visitors.
Costs of rural tourism
77%
1. Economic
- Pressure on public services
- Increase in the price of land
2. Social
- Breach of carrying capacities resulting in congestion and over-crowding leading to negative attitudes to tourists
3. Environmental
- Potential for inappropriate development in terms of scale and design
Problems and challenges
77%
Low population base;
Limited financial resources;
Lack of skills in professional organization;
Insufficient knowledge of needs and interests of travellers;
Mismanagement of balancing environmental protection with development;
Unawareness of carrying capacity of a community;
Lack of coordination between private and public sector;
To deliver a quality rural tourism product?
77%
1.To work together to a strategy
Setting the process going
Leadership and partnership structures
A clear strategy, well communicated
To deliver a quality rural tourism product?
77%
2. Delivering quality at all stages of the visitor experience
Marketing and communicationWelcome, orientation and informationAccommodationLocal produce and gastronomyAttractions and eventsCountryside recreationEnvironment and infrastructure
To deliver a quality rural tourism product?
77%
3. Installing effective quality management and monitoring processes
Understanding visitors needs and seeing they are metSetting, checking and communicating standards Working with people on training and improving quality Monitoring impact on the local economy, community and environment
European Union Priorities
77%
Improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors
Improving the environment and countryside
Improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy
Building local capacity for employment and diversification
Ensuring consistency in programming
Complementarity between European instruments New challenges: Combating climate change Promoting renewable energies Water management Protecting biodiversity
Thank you!
Zoltán SomogyiExecutive Directorfor Member Relations and Services
Visit us at unwto.org