The municpality of Lisbon hosted the first United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) mayors’ summit on 5 April.
Organized in cooperation with UNWTO, the Portuguese Ministries of Economy and Tourism, and the Lisbon City Council, the event has gathered global leaders, tourism policy-makers and stakeholders: 15 mayors and deputy mayors from world touristic cities including Sao Paulo (Brazil), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Paris (France), Bruges (Belgium), Moscow (Russia), Seoul (South Korea), Madrid and Barcelona (Spain) took the floor. Moreover, the Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain, Isabel Oliver, and the Secretary of Tourism of Argentina, Gustavo Santos, as well as companies and international organizations such as the World Bank took part to the works of the assembly.
“Portugal will be an international stage for the discussion on sustainability of tourism in cities”, the Portuguese secretary of state Ana Mendes Godinho told.
Rising numbers in tourism can contribute to the wealth of cities and countries, but, at the same time, they can be a threat for the sustainability, the environemntal conditions and the well-being of local citizens. Indeed, UNWTO Mayors’ forum aimed at providing a unique platform to discuss issues and solutions for developing and managing tourism in cities in a way that promotes economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
The Forum promoted the integration of tourism into the urban development agenda as well as set key priorities and alliances to build inclusive and sustainable cities for all, a commitment which will be strengthen with the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration on Sustainable Urban Tourism: “Cities for All: building cities for citizens and visitors”.
Lisbon demonstrates to be on the forefront when it comes to elaborate innovative strategies for sustainable urban tourism: in recent times, 21 projects have been approved to improve social and environemntal sustainability of the tourism sector, involving a €6 Million investment. URBAN-WASTE is among them!
