世界旅游组织秘书长弗朗·加利讲话。

    OPENING REMARKS OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE WORLD TOURISM

    ORGAINZATION

    CHINA BEST TOURISM CITIES AWARD CEREMONY

    China, 7-11 February 2007

    His Excellency Mr. Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration,

    Honorable Mayors,

    Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

    I am very pleased to be here today and to welcome you all to the first China Best Tourism Cities Award Ceremony, which China National Tourism Administration is organizing in collaboration with World Tourism Organization.

    Before I tackle the subject in hand, I would like to give you a brief overview of world tourism situation and that of Asia and the Pacific region. Travel and tourism has become the world's largest and fastest growing industry, and it is heartening to note that its growth shows a consistent year-to-year increase. Tourist arrivals worldwide grew at an average rate of 4.1percent per annum between 1990 and 2006. This booming trend has continued even for the past four years during which the tourism industry has had to live wars, terrorist attacks, fuel price increases, health scares and natural disasters. In 2005, despite the lingering shadow of the devastating Indian Ocean sea quake and tsunami, international tourist arrivals crossed the 800 million mark for the first time ever. This grew by 4.5 percent in 2006 registering a record figure of 842 million.

    It is also an indisputable fact that tourism in Asia and the Pacific region is gradually changing world tourism scenario because it is the motor propelling global tourism. And there is more than ample evidence to back this assertion. This is a region that has been experiencing one of the highest growth rates of international tourist arrivals since 1990.Its robust growth rate of 7.1 per cent, from 19990to 2006,which is higher than the world average, is only next to that of Middle East (9.4%).It grew by over 7 per cent in 2005 with 155 million international tourism arrivals and 7.6 per cent in 2006 recording 167 million, while the growth was 5.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively.

    And I am pleased to underline the fact that China is firmly positioned at the head of the growth of Asia's tourism. China has surpassed all possible forecasts with the outstanding and constant growth of its tourism industry during the past decade. It is not only the most visited country of the Asian region and the fourth most popular destination, overtaking traditional destinations such as France, Spain and the Untied States of America. This remarkable performance and the projected leading position in world tourism prove the quality, strength and maturity of the Chinese tourism product.

    UNWTO is proud that is could make a modest but important contribution to China's outstanding record. Various technical assistance missions and projects have been carried out by us for the development and promotion of China's diverse tourism industry particularly at provincial level in recent years. We are equally proud to have assisted the China National Tourism Administration in drafting the criteria for the selection of the best tourism cities of China.China recognized the need to establish ways by which the quality of operation of individual cities,resorts and other individual locations within its boundaries could be monitored and improved.Consequently,China National Tourism Administration established a Top Tourism Cities scheme.But in order to build on the success of this scheme and to take it to a more advanced level of assessment and evaluation which will raise the quality of tourism development and operation to full international standard,CNTA requested UNWTO's assistance in the formulation of the technical criteria and standards in selecting the best tourism cities in China-a joint project that has been on-going since 2001.

    With this criteria in hand,UNWTO conducted inspection visits to three candidate cities for the best toursim cities scheme,namely,Dalian,Chengdu and Hangzhou last November.All these three cities were found to have fully complied with the basic requirements needed for the best tourism cities scheme.The leaders of Dalian,Chengdu and Hangzhou recognize the importance of tourism in their economies.the infrastructure,attractions,facilities services and a good environment all conducive for tourism are also in place.This has been achieved with the hard and dedicated work of the city administration in general, the tourism administration and tourism private sector in particular as well as the support of the citizens of the cities.The three cities are now poised to move on to the next level of the best tourism cities scheme and I am confident that they will not only live up to expectations but perform even better.

    The successful application and implementation of this best tourism cities scheme is sure to bring about a competition among cities in China.It will make them strive for quality and excellence in the development and management of tourism products and services.It would also serve to harmonise standards of tourism facilities and services throughout China and serve as a benchmark against international standards.UNWTO is very committed to quality and excellence in tourism and we show the strength of this commitment this year by targeting the launching of UNWTO Centre of Excellence for Destinations in Montreal,Canada.The mission of the Centre is to help tourist destinations worldwide reach excellence by increasing their competitiveness;contributing to sustainable development goals;improving service quality;and enhancing the geographical character of a place.I thank you,Mr.Chairman,for having accepted during our last meeting in Guizhou,that China will become a member of the Steering Group that will be responsible for implementing this policy for the quality of destinations at the global level.

    Within China,Chengdu,Dalian and Hangzhou will be remembered in China's tourism history

    As the three cities that pioneered the success of the best tourism cities scheme.It is no small achievement to be the envy of all Chinese cities and I am confident that your example will be emulated not only in China but in the whole of Asia and the Pacific.