KOTA KINABALU, Nov 29 — The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) hoped the World Tourism Conference (WTC) 2022 will help translate the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) global framework for tourism recovery at the country and organisation levels.
Aiming to realise tourism’s true potential as a provider of jobs and economic pillar to accelerate recovery, MOTAC deputy secretary-general (tourism) Datuk Mohd Zamri Mat Zain said many insightful messages, observations and takeaways can be reflected on these past two days’ conference.
“One example would be the importance of a human-centred approach to rebuilding resilience, particularly in addressing the skilled labour shortages which have affected the tourism sector’s ability to meet surging pent-up demand.
“We also learned of best practices in corporate governance and sustainability assessment tools such as environmental, social and governance (ESG), which remain as yet unchartered waters for many tourism-related businesses largely comprising of small and micro enterprises in this region,” he said in his speech to kick off the WTC 2022 closing ceremony here today.
He said it had been greatly emphasised that successful governments and destinations are reaching out beyond the sphere of tourism in offering flexible immigration policies, investing in health and education services, and enhancing economic opportunities for women, among other initiatives which contribute towards strengthening social protection.
“I believe these are the sustainable investments in human capital which will go a long way towards addressing the challenges faced by the sector, as well as their underlying vulnerabilities and inequalities, which were laid bare by the global pandemic.
“I hope Malaysia has proven to be an inspiring backdrop for this meeting of minds, bringing together the best of the public sector, industry and academia to deliberate on a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism of the future which everyone aspires to,” he added.
Meanwhile, UNWTO Regional Department for Asia-Pacific director Harry Hwang said the two years of COVID-19 did shut global tourism down completely and literally stopped the whole world from travelling.
“The unprecedented impact and damage the pandemic has done to our sector has made us realise how vulnerable it is to external forces and crisis situations,” he added.
He said there is a need to beat future crisis by devising innovative strategies capable of envisioning potential scenarios and providing a direction for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead of the tourism industry.
