UN TOURISM CHIEF UNVEILS PLAN TO STEP DOWN EARLY

UN TOURISM CHIEF UNVEILS PLAN TO STEP DOWN EARLY New York, Jun 13 2008 2:00PM The head of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced today that he is stepping down at the start of next year to ensure a smooth transition before the scheduled end of his final term in office.

Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the Madrid-based agency, told its Executive Council that membership of <"http://www.unwto.org/media/news/en/press_det.php?id=2381&idioma=E">UNWTO had expanded to 153 States during his leadership, and more States are expected to join soon.

He said his main achievements as Secretary-General included the creation of a universally accepted system to measure the impact on tourism on national economies, and the adoption of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism to encourage responsible and sustainable tourism.

Last year the number of international tourists worldwide climbed to 898 million arrivals, a 6 per cent jump on the previous year's totals. Every major region experienced an above-average increase.
2008-06-13 00:00:00.000

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