Background:
Established in 1964, UNCTAD promotes the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy. UNCTAD has progressively evolved into an authoritative knowledge-based institution whose work aims to help shape current policy debates and thinking on development, with a particular focus on ensuring that domestic policies and international action are mutually supportive in bringing about sustainable development.
The organization works to fulfil this mandate by carrying out three key functions:
• It functions as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations, supported by discussions with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus building.
• It undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of government representatives and experts.
• It provides technical assistance tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries, with special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies in transition. When appropriate, UNCTAD cooperates with other organizations and donor countries in the delivery of technical assistance.
Tourism related programs:
E-Tourism Initiative: Launched at the eleventh UNCTAD quadrennial ministerial conference in São Paulo, Brazil, in June 2004, the E-Tourism Initiative is part of UNCTAD's task force on sustainable tourism for development. The Initiative is part of the UNCTAD XI Information and Communication Technologies for Development Partnership. This partnership encompasses activities in the areas of free and open-source software, e-tourism, ICT policies, e-measurement, ICT indicators and e-finance. Linking sustainable tourism and ICTs for development, the demand-driven E-Tourism Initiative will strengthen developing country capacities to promote their tourism product and dynamically match it to worldwide demand. The Initiative focuses on the development and implementation of ICT-based tools that will help communities tap the international market by strengthening and including local institutional and human capacities in the global market and promoting local involvement and ownership. The E-Tourism Initiative is part of UNCTAD's technical cooperation activities.
For many developing countries, and particularly the LDCs, the small economies and the island developing States, tourism provides a significant potential for poverty reduction, economic growth and development. It is often their primary source of hard currency and is also one of the largest sources of employment. ICTs can make developing countries more autonomous and self-sufficient in constructing their own brand images and promoting their own tourist attractions. In maximizing their comparative advantage in this sector, developing countries can adjust their tourism services to suit their own development strategies and become better integrated in the world economy.
The target population for this project is composed of ministries of tourism, national tourism boards, destination management organizations, local tourism stakeholders and other relevant partners.
The immediate objective is to design, create and establish a steady e-commerce market place by identifying, promoting and integrating the providers of national goods and services with regard to international business. Other objectives are to enable destination countries to organize their tourism services, to develop new tourism products, to improve the quality of their services and foster public-private partnerships to improve the competitiveness of the sector.
Contact
UNCTAD
Palais des Nations
8-14, Av. de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
T: +41 22 917 5809
F: +41 22 917 0051