Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The UNWTO Regional Workshop on Measuring Tourism in the Asia Pacific commenced in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
The three-day workshop, jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will focus on the development of the tourism industry affected by Covid-19, the search for new destinations for expansion and diversification, the development of tourism infrastructure, and investment in this area.
The main objective of the workshop is to promote the development of the System of Tourism Statistics as a necessary condition to make progress in the measurement and analysis of tourism. It also aims to begin the tasks contemplated in the different stages recommended by UNWTO for the development of a Tourism Satellite Account and to take the necessary steps toward piloting and Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism.
Representatives from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Maldives, Indonesia, Iran, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Thailand, and Spain, as well as UNWTO, are participating in the workshop.
Addressing the opening session, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, pointed out the need to focus on the development and diversification of the tourism industry, which has been affected by COVID-19, by looking for new destinations to expand. He emphasized the importance of developing and expanding the tourism industry to the rural level and increasing investment in tourism infrastructure.
He also stressed the need for equitable distribution of the benefits obtained by increasing the number and quality of tourist arrivals through the promotion of the tourism sector nationally and internationally.
Similarly, Beka Jakeli, Director of External Relations at UNWTO, said that quality data is necessary for the development of tourism plans and promotional activities in the context of recent changes in the dimensions of tourism.
Dr Dhananjay Regmi, CEO of NTB, said that the participants of the workshop will hold discussions on various dimensions of tourism. He hoped that the exchange of knowledge and experiences of different countries on tourism statistics would help prepare a new approach to tourism.
The participants of the workshop will discuss the impact of tourism on the economy, tourism satellite account, and sustainable tourism in Asia and the Asia Pacific, among other issues.
