As tourism has become a powerful engine for the economic and social development of cities, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) to develop an instrument that would measure the performance of the sector in metropolitan areas. Under the title “UNWTO-WTCF City Tourism Performance Research,” the project will include a set of criteria and a platform for information.

According to UN Habitat 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities in a few years. By 2025, metropolitan areas would contribute over $30 trillion annually to the world’s economy. As tourism currently stands as a central component in the economic, social and geographical development of many cities, it is essential to monitor tourism performance in urban destinations and address areas in need of improvement. As stated by UNWTO secretary-general, Taleb Rifai, “City tourism should go hand-in-hand with sustainable development; preserving environmental treasures together with tangible and intangible heritage should be parallel to the importance of engaging local communities.”

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The partnership between UNWTO and WTCF to measure city tourism would assist policy-makers and stakeholders in their efforts to take action for better urban tourism governance and sustainable management. The project includes research on city tourism performance, and collecting information about the existing systems to measure city tourism performance worldwide. A total of 16 cities located in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America participated in the survey. The exercise would help to define a set of criteria that constitute the best possible assessment of city tourism performance at a reasonable cost.

“Cities provide an important vehicle for world tourism development. Launched in 2015, the UNWTO-WTCF City Tourism Performance Research Programme has conducted a comprehensive analysis of 16 tourism cities in the world in the five areas:  destination management, economic perspective, social and cultural perspectives, environmental perspective as well as technology and new business models. The findings offer very useful guidance for promoting sustainable development in cities around the world,” said the secretary-general of WTCF, Song Yu.