UNWTO General Assembly Underway in Colombia’s Cartagena de Indias

The General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) -held every other year- kicked off last week in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia at a time when the world travel industry is down to the yearend wire with a record high 900 million tourist arrivals around the globe.

According to UNWTO secretary-general Francesco Frangialli, who’s attending the weeklong event in Colombia, world tourism is expected to finish 2007 with a 5.7 percent increase from the year before, regardless of currency instability and skyrocketing oil prices.

“The world view can’t be any better and we hope to close 2007 with a 5.7 percent increase, despite the many difficulties the industry has been forced to put up with in the course of this waning year,” Mr. Frangialli was quoted as saying in a local newspaper.

Even though Mr. Frangialli believes the more traditional travel segments, like sun and sand, won’t vanish from the tourism scenario any time soon, other niches like ecotourism, cultural tourism and business travel keep inching forward.

For the Secretary-General, the possibility of holding the UNWTO General Assembly in Cartagena de Indias is certainly opening a window of opportunity for the Colombian travel sector, hit hard in recent years amid an image of insecurity and uncertainty.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Colombia has the potential to develop tourism like very few South American countries do. There’re mountains, the Amazon, two coasts and a fantastic cultural heritage. You’ve got everything it takes and you’ve got that much in your own hands,” Mr. Frangialli said.

The 17th edition of the UNWTO General Assembly –is slated to come to a close on Thursday- is gathering over 800 delegates from 120 countries to discuss the hottest issues linked to the development of the travel industry worldwide. Those topics include climate change, the spike in oil prices and the need to foster sustainable tourism.

This is the third time the UNWTO General Assembly is being held in South America. The first time was in Buenos Aires, Argentina back in 1991, and in Santiago de Chile in 1999. The organization’s foundational event was held in Mexico City in 1970.