Iguazu Area Ready for Key Conference on Tourism Satellite Account

The World Tourism Organization is piecing together a major conference on the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) at the Iguazu Falls from October 3 to 6 in what promises to be a breaking point in “understanding tourism and designing strategies”.

The conference is jointly organized and hosted by WTO and the Governments of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

As one of the most important economic sectors in the world economy, tourism is a leading source of employment, income, investment, government revenue and development in many countries, but its precise impact on the economy of a single country needs to be measured professionally and strategically, WTO stresses. Tourism Satellite Accounts facilitates just that.

WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli will be among speakers opening the conference and the keynote address by an official of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean is entitled “Introducing Tourism into the Mainstream of Economics”.

Results of the TSA permit governments to better understand the true size and value of the industry and therefore make informed and intelligent decisions regarding tourism policy.

The aim of this high-level conference is to identify applications of the TSA for the benefit of all the stakeholders involved in tourism development and management.

The conference is oriented around various key-questions related to the role and impact of tourism on society and the policies and strategies that will decide its future. It constitutes an important milestone in the evolution of the tourism industry and in the way it is managed and developed.