Gullin becomes 1st UNWTO tourism observatory

One of the world’s outstanding scenic destinations has been selected as the location for the first UNWTO observatory to carry out a monitoring system for the sustainable development of tourism. The town of Yangshuo, at the end of the Li river boat-trip through the famed karst scenery of southern China, will be the centre for a project that will be managed by Guilin City Council and Zhongshan University.

What is scheduled to be the first in a network of similar centres around the world will implement a monitoring system based on the UNWTO methodology for sustainable tourism indicators that will aid in the planning and management of tourism. Information gathered on the “triple bottom line” — the social, environmental and economic impacts of tourism will help policy makers decide on future developments and improve co-ordination between private and public sectors.

Guilin currently receives around 12 million visitors a year. More than one million of them are foreigners, who go primarily to visit the distinctive rock outcrops, rivers and caves around the city. But it is also an area rich in history and folklore that has become increasingly aware in recent years of the need for careful development, particularly where it involves the protection of the environment.

UNWTO’s Regional Representative for Asia, Xu Jing, speaking at a ceremony in Madrid for the Mayor of Guilin, Zhang Xiulong, said it was yet another example of the “exemplary co-operation” with the city, which has recently agreed a UNWTO project for development of a new diploma programme in hospitality management.
By becoming an observatory for UNWTO, the city will be able to offer its culture and scenery “not only for the benefit of China but all the world,” Mayor Zhang said. “We shall do our utmost to do a great job as our contribution to tourism.”