SPEECH FOR THE HON.

MINISTER NAJIB BALALAS HOMECOMING WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO) EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

AFTER BEING ELECTED NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS

It is indeed a great honor to Kenya and I am humbled on being elected Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council for the first time in Africa. The Executive Council comprised of 31 Member States is the governing body of the UNWTO and brings together 154 countries into a single global tourism organization. This win is a double win for Kenya after winning the bid in 2010 Iran to host the 90th Session of the Executive Council which we successfully hosted in June 2011 in Mombasa, Kenya. It is a win for Africa as well since Zambia & Zimbabwe will jointly host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2013. I promise to work with all member countries to push forth the tourism agenda globally. To support the already existing agenda that includes restructuring of the World Tourism Organization into an institution that is effective in serving the member countries; formulation of a long-term vision for the global tourism sector and; development of a global code of ethics for the tourism industry players. Indeed, my first duty as Chair will be to ensure the implementation of the six main policies considered pertinent and passed in the General Assembly in Gyeongju, Korea including: 1. International Tourism Current Situation and Short term Prospects. 2. Long term Prospects for the Tourism Sector Tourism Towards 2030 3. Mainstreaming Tourism in the Global Agenda The Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign.
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4. Implementation of the Programme of Work 2010-2011 and Draft Programme of Work 2012-2013. 5. Administrative and Statutory Matters. 6. The White Paper A Reform Process for a More Relevant UNWTO. It is worth noting that the sector rebounded strongly in 2010 following the decline registered in 2009 which was one of the most challenging years for international tourism in decades. All world regions posted positive growth in both international tourist arrivals and receipts in 2010. Africa, the only region to show positive figures in 2009, maintained growth during 2010 by recording +7% in arrivals and +4% in receipts. Prospects for full year 2011: UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to end 2011 at +4% - +5% : a rate slightly above the 4% long-term average. 2012 is going to be a milestone year in tourism as it is when we will hit the 1 Billion mark in international tourist arrivals. Over the last 10 years, we have witnessed the rise of emerging countries and tourism has followed the same trend with the emergence of new destinations. Tourism Towards 2030 was officially launched by the Secretariat on the occasion of the 19th Session of the General Assembly as the new UNWTO long-term forecast for international tourism. The project aims to assist Members in formulating long-term strategies and policies; provide a global reference on tourism future developments; constitute the basis for UNWTO strategic recommendations and guidelines in several areas; and strengthen UNWTOs leadership role in terms of global tourism agenda.

By 2030, UNWTO forecast the world to reach between 1.7 & 1.9 Billion international tourist arrivals. The report is divided into a qualitative and quantitative part. Qualitative includes an assessment of major trends shaping tourism development in recent decades as well as a set of future trends. Quantitative part provides forecasting for some 140 individual flows with results presented by: - arrival (sub)region - departure region - advanced vs. emerging economies - surface vs. air transport - intra-regional vs. inter-regional Tourism still lacks due political and economic recognition despite its growing relevance and proven contribution to GDP, jobs and exports. I my tenure, I promise to continue pushing strongly the objective of positioning tourism as a priority in the global agenda in line with the Global Leaders for Tourism campaign which is a joint initiative by the UNWTO and WTTC. This campaign included a presentation of an open letter to Heads of States and Government worldwide seeking their acknowledgement of the relevance of travel and tourism in facing todays global challenges. Upto the end of September 2011, eleven dignitaries had joined the campaign including: 1. President Kibaki Kenya 2. President Calderon Mexico 3. President Zuma South Africa 4. President Nazarbayev Kazakhstan 5. President Schmitt Hungary 6. President Compaore Burkina Faso 7. President Yudhoyono Indonesia 8. President Guebuza Mozambique
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9. President Serzh Sargsyan - Armenia 10. President Basescu Romania 11. Vice Premier Wang Qishan China I will work hand-in-hand with the Secretary General and the UNWTO secretariat in ensuring that tourism moves higher within the UN system on the sustainability and development agendas as well as the recognition of tourism in achieving the MDGs. The implementation of the White Paper as a framework dialogue document is of utmost importance. Its approval and endorsement by Members is crucial since it will strengthen their sense of ownership of the Organization, by means of greater participation in the definition of the priority areas and fulfilling a more active role in all its organs and technical committees. Some of these changes, namely those related to the Secretariat, have already started as informed to the Executive Council. The conversion into a programbased structure has been concluded and an evaluation of the programs will be carried out every two years. These new foundations of the Organizations operation initiated by the White Paper are indispensable to the UNWTO to enable tourism to play its role and fulfill its responsibilities in the Millennium Development Goals and more specifically in the three main global challenges that are the top priorities on United Nations agenda: 1. Poverty Alleviation an area in which the Organization has successfully developed a clear conceptual and methodological framework by launching the Sustainable Tourism for the Elimination of Poverty (STEP) Initiative.

2. Employment an area of paramount economic and social importance for both developed and developing Member States. This area is of high relevance since the tourism sector, due to its labour-intensive nature, can and should become a major player thus attracting further and stronger support from governments and international funding agencies. 3. Climate Change an area in which significant change has been made by the UNWTO that requires stronger commitment by the public and private tourism stakeholders. Pilot project on Intelligent Energy in the European Hotel Industry currently being executed by the UNWTO should be widely disseminated. On the home front, I spearheaded a joint effort of countries on the Indian Ocean corridor within East Africa on the issues of piracy and security. A joint statement between Kenya, Tanzania and Seychelles was issued thro the UNWTO to appeal to the UN and International Community on the seriousness of this issue which is not a local issue but one with international repercussions requiring and international approach. Cruise tourism is one of the major casualties of the insecurity along the Somali shoreline in Eastern Africa. With those few remarks and updates, I once again thank all the Member States who showed confidence in Kenya and me and promised to charter the UNWTO to greater heights and prosperity. Thank You.

Hon. Najib M. Balala EGH MP MINISTER FOR TOURISM