examples of national tourism organization

The 3 types of travel and tourism organisations

There are many different types of travel and tourism organisations. From tour operators to airlines, to tourist boards and conservation activists, each organisation is different. However, most travel and tourism organisations can be grouped into one of three categories: private, public or voluntary. In this article I will explain what’s meant by each type of thew types of travel and tourism organisations.

Types of travel and tourism organisations

What is a private travel and tourism organisation, aims of private travel and tourism organisations, tour operators, travel agents, transport organisations and hubs, visitor attractions, accommodation providers, what is a public travel and tourism organisation, aims of public travel and tourism organisations, tourist information centres, tourist boards, local transport organisations, regulatory bodies, government bodies, what is a voluntary travel and tourism organisation, aims of voluntary travelled tourism organisations, pressure groups, types of travel and tourism organisations: to conclude, further reading.

Travel and tourism is big business and there are many different types of travel and tourism organisations. Many argue that the tourism industry is the biggest industry in the world, employing more people than any other industry! There are many different components of tourism , meaning that there are a wide range of organisations that are involved in the operational logistics of tourism management.

The types of travel and tourism organisations can be broadly separated into one of three categories: private, public and voluntary. Below, I will explain what is meant by each type of organisation.

Private travel and tourism organisations

The first, and most common, types of travel and tourism organisations are privately owned. The majority of the travel and tourism industry is made up of private travel and tourism organisations. This includes many of the well-known companies that most of us are familiar with.

A private organisation is one that is owned by an individual person, a group of people or company.

Sometimes private organisations are public limited companies (PLCs). This means that the company is owned by many people who buy shares in the organisation. These shares are sold on the stock market. The price of shares goes up and down depending on the market value of the company.

Private travel and tourism organisations come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small companies, often known as small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Others are large companies, multinational companies and conglomerates.

Staff who work for a private travel and tourism organisation are generally paid a salary. Although travel and tourism salaries are often quite low, especially in developing countries!

These types of travel and tourism organisations have several aims. First and foremost, most private organisations aim to make a profit. Their most dominant motive is making money.

Many private travel and tourism organisations will also aim to increase their market share. This means that the company wants more customers than its competitors.

Private companies will often aim to grow their business and increase their turnover each year. In other words, they want to make more and more money every year.

Increasing revenue can be difficult and complicated. The infographic below gives you some idea of the aspects that need to be considered by a travel and tourism organisation when planning for growth and development.

Image is an important part of being a successful travel and tourism business. Private organisations will often try to portray a good image and/or improve their image. They can do this through taking on social projects , demonstrating a commitment to environmental conservation or through charitable acts.

This is often referred to as corporate social responsibility.

Another way that private travel and tourism organisations can make more money and increase their profit is to diversify the range of products and services that they offer. In other words, the more different products/services that they sell, the more customers that they can potentially attract.

Examples of private travel and tourism organisations

There are many different private types of travel and tourism organisations. In fact, most organisations in the travel and tourism industry are privately owned! Below are some examples:

A tour operator is an organisations who puts together, or builds, a holiday.

There are many tour operators all over the world in all shapes and sizes. You may be familiar with some of the larger brands, such as TUI and Hays Travel.

A travel agent is the person who sells you a holiday. They can also sell individual travel products, such as flights or ancillaries (e.g. insurance, car hire, attraction tickets). There are several different types of travel agents .

Examples of travel agents that you may be familiar with include Cooperative Travel, Crystal Corporate and Virgin Holidays.

Transport is a key component of tourism and there are different methods of transport depending on the holiday.

A hub is a connecting point, where passengers may change transport options. For examples major airports bus station or a railway station.

Examples of major transport operators that you may be familiar with includes British Airways, Virgin Trains and Mega Bus.

Examples of major hubs include London Heathrow Airport, London Waterloo train station and London Victoria bus station.

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Many, but not all, visitor attractions are private travel and tourism organisations.

The types of visitor attractions vary widely, from theme parks to botanic gardens to historical buildings.

Examples of private visitor attractions that you may have heard of includes Disney Land, Paris, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and the Brighton Sea Life Centre.

Most accommodatio providers are privately owned.

There are many different types of accommodations ranging from bed and breakfast to caravans to hotels.

Accommodation providers that you may be familiar with include Hilton Hotel, Travel Lodge and Airbnb. Airbnb is a major player in the tourism industry in recent years- you can learn all about this business (and get a discount off of your first booking!) in this article- what is Airbnb?

Public travel and tourism organisations

Public travel and tourism organisations make up an important part of the travel and tourism industry . Public organisations provide many of the essentials fundamentals that enable the tourism industry to function. These types of travel and tourism organisations are less common than private organisations, but are an important part of the travel and tourism industry.

These types of travel and tourism organisations is an organisation that is owned or funded by the government.

Public organisations can be local organisations, i.e. smaller companies theatre based in specific local areas. Public organisations can also be national organisations, i.e. they operate on a country-wide level.

Public travel and tourism organisations will likely have paid staff as well as volunteers, who are unpaid.

The main aim of these types of travel and tourism organisations is to provide services to the public.

Public organisations are allocated funding by the government. The amount of funding that is allocated to a particular area depends on a number of factors, including a needs assessment and the government budget.

Each year the government will decide where and how to allocate money that is raised largely through taxes. You can learn more about how this is done in the short video clip below.

Public organisations should ensure that the best level of service is maintained. However, public organisations often have limited funds compared to private organisations. Therefore service levels are often lower in public organisations theatre directly comparable with private organisations (i.e. they are the same type of business operating in a similar way).

Unlike private organisations, public travel and tourism organisations are not profit-driven. Whilst many organisations do need to make money to survive, their main focus is not profit, but instead is the level of service. This means that prices can be kept lower for consumers.

Privatisation in travel and tourism Privatisation is a controversial topic within the tourism industry and beyond. Privatisation is the process of selling public organisations to private companies. By selling public organisations, the government can raise money and focus their efforts in alternate areas. However, this means that the government no longer have control over aspects such as pricing and service quality. There are many examples of privatisation in the travel and tourism industry. In the UK, British Airways was improved considerably when privatised- under government control the airline was about to fold. On the other hand, since much of British Rail has been sold to private companies prices have risen significantly and there is a lot of dissatisfaction amongst consumers with regards to service levels.

When public organisations make profit, the intention is that this money is reinvested. The money may be reinvested directly into the same business. Alternatively, the money may be allocated elsewhere within the annual government budget.

Examples of public travel and tourism organisations

Public organisations are some of the most important types of travel and tourism organisations. They are often the backbone of the rest of the industry, without which it could not operate. Below are some examples of public travel and tourism organisations.

A tourist information centre (TCI) is an organisation that provides information to tourists.

Tourist information centres will often be located in tourist areas such as towns and cities and coastal destinations. They are also typically found at airports or major transport hubs.

Tourist information centres often provide free information such as maps, apps, brochures and leaflets about tourism in the area.

A tourist board is an organisation whose responsibility is to provide information about and promote a particular tourist area.

Tourist boards can be regional or national. Their job is to encourage tourism in the are within which they are based.

Tourist boards that you may have heard of in the UK include Visit Britain (the national tourist board), Visit Cornwall and Visit Oxford (regional tourist boards).

There are some visitor attractions theatre publicly owned.

In the UK, we have many museums and exhibitions theatre public organisations. The government subsidises entrance costs at some of the public tourist attractions.

By keeping a tourist attractions as a public organisation it enables protection and preservation of the area and of the attraction itself.It also enables sustainable tourism management by assessing capacity levels and visitor numbers.

Public tourist attractions that you may have heard of include the Natural History Museum in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Great Wall of China .

Many transport providers are publicly owned.

Buses, trains and airports are often public organisations. Although, as I previously stated, sometimes these are privatised.

By keeping public transport publicly owned it generally enables prices to stay lower, although the service may be inferior to private transport companies, who may choose to investor money into their products and services in anticipation of greater financial outcomes.

A regulatory body is an organisation with the purpose of regulating. These organisations will monitor and assess, imposing requirements and rules as needed. Regulatory bodies set standards and enforce compliance.

Regulatory bodies in the UK include the Bank of England and the Financial Policy Committee.

A government body is a group of people who are given the responsibility of exercising governance. These people are responsible for making decisions and agreeing law.

Government bodies are typically separated into sectors of the economy. Examples include the Department of Agriculture and the Department for Education.

Voluntary travel and tourism organisations

The voluntary sector plays an important role in our society. There are many different types of voluntary organisations, some of which can be defined as tourism-based organisations . Lets learn a little bit more about these types of travel and tourism organisations.

A voluntary travel and tourism organisation is a company that is not profit making. For these types of travel and tourism organisations, any profit that is received is directed back into the business, not into the hands of CEOs or shareholders, as would be the case with a private travel and tourism organisation.

Voluntary travel and tourism organisations are often funded through charitable donations or government grants. Sometimes they operate aspart of a legacy.

Some voluntary organisations charge entrance fees to help with maintenance and running costs of the business.

Voluntary travel and tourism organisations will often rely on unpaid volunteers to operate. There will also usually be some paid staff, although salaries in the charitable sector are typically quite low.

For these types of travel and tourism organisations, the aim of a voluntary travel and tourism organisation is to preserve or protect particular areas of society or natural environments.

This can include environmental protection and conservation, such as a turtle breeding programme in Costa Rica or a volunteer tourism project operating in the Amazon rainforest.

Voluntary travel and tourism organisations may focus on the conservation of buildings, particularly if they are of historical or cultural value . They may also work with tourism stakeholders on landscape designs and features, often to ensure that any new development is in keeping with or does not negatively inflict on the current landscape.

Many voluntary travel and tourism organisations will work to lobby or campaign on particular issues. This will likely include cultural preservation, environmental protection and economic distribution. If there is a proposed development thatchy do not approve of, the voluntary organisation will often campaign against it.

Many voluntary travel and tourism organisations will centre around the concepts of conservation and sustainability.

Examples of voluntary travel and tourism organisations

There are many voluntary travel and tourism organisations around the world. Some examples of these types of travel and tourism organisations include:

Some visitor attractions are non-profit, voluntary travel and tourism organisations. Sometimes these are natural attractions and sometimes these are man-made attractions.

Examples include many National Trust organisations and conservation-based projects, such as elephant rescue programmes in Thailand or maorinebiology research programmes in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia .

Some transport is operated on a voluntary basis. This will often be associated with other charitable projects or as an incentive to encourage visitors to visit particular area.

There are a number of charities that are associated with the travel and tourism industry.

Organisations such as World Wildlife Fund and the International Animal Welfare Charity are directly linked with a number of tourism-based projects and initiatives.

A pressure group is an organisation which campaigns for change.

There are a number of pressure groups that are not tourism-based, but that are related to tourism management, such as Animal Aid and Friends of the Earth.

There are also pressure groups that are solely tourism focussed, such as the Aviation Environment Federation or Tourism Concern (note- Tourism Concern has recently ceased operations).

As you can see, there are many different types of travel and tourism organisations. These range from large to small and from profit-making to non-for-profit. There are three main types of travelled tourism organisations, which are private, public and voluntary.

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The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members’ competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism’s 500 plus Affiliate members.

Important global organizations in Tourism and Hospitality

International Travel, Tourism and Hospitality organizations play a major role in advancing the development through the interests of the industry. They provide forums for discussions of common issues, lobby for industry causes, especially those which promote the industry’s interests, and allow members from different parts of the world to network and learn from one another. Nearly all organizations are involved in doing research, providing marketing services and training schemes that are most cost effective when done jointly under an umbrella organization.

• United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive developmentandenvironmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for

Tourism, to maximize tourism’s socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development worldwide.

1.1 Functioning of UNWTO.

The Secretariat is led by Secretary-General Taleb Rifai of Jordan, who supervises about 110 full-time staff at UNWTO’s Madrid Headquarters. The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization. It meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate topics of vital importance to the tourism sector.  The UNWTO has six regional commissions-Africa, the Americas,

East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.    The Executive Council is UNWTO’s governing board, responsible for ensuring that the Organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget.   As host country of UNWTO´s Headquarters, Spain has a permanent seat on the Executive Council.   

Specialized committees of UNWTO Members advise on management and programme content. These include: the Programme and Budget Committee, the Committee on Statistics and the Ttourism Satellite Account, the Committee on Tourism and Competitiveness, the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, the World

Committee on Tourism Ethics and the Committee for the Review of Applications for Affiliate Membership. 

• World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).  

 The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) was formed in 1991 by a group of Travel & Tourism CEOs to study the sector’s contribution to economies and job creation.  WTTC is the only global body that brings together all major players in the Travel & Tourism sector (airlines, hotels, cruise, car rental, travel agencies, tour operators, GDS, and technology), enabling them to speak with One Voice to governments and international bodies. 

The WTTC uses empirical evidence to promote awareness of Travel & Tourism’s economic contribution; to expand markets in harmony with the environment; and to reduce barriers to growth. It is important that WTTC has the broadest geographical representation and includes all aspects of the sector, including organizations that provide vital services to Travel & Tourism. With Chief Executives of over 140 of the world’s leading Travel & Tourism companies as its members, the WTTC has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to Travel & Tourism. 

The body advocates partnership between the public and private sectors, delivering results that match the needs of economies, local and regional authorities, and local communities, with those of business, based on: Governments recognizing Travel & Tourism as a top priority business balancing economics with people, culture and environment a shared pursuit of long-term growth and prosperity.

2.1 Research of WTTC.

• Policy Research .  A range of other research projects focused on issues impacting the Travel & Tourism sector, related to the three strategic priorities of Freedom to Travel, Policies for Growth, and Tourism for Tomorrow.  
• International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 265 airlines or 83% of total air traffic.  IATA was founded in Havana, Cuba, on 19 April 1945. It is the prime platform for inter-airline cooperation in promoting safe, reliable, secure and economical air services for the benefit of the world’s consumers. The international scheduled air transport industry is more than 100 times larger than it was in 1945.  IATA is led by Alexandre de Juniac, Director General & CEO since September 2016.

At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has some 265 members from 117 nations in every part of the globe. The IATA is the successor to the International Air Traffic Association, founded in

The Hague in 1919 – the year of the world’s first international scheduled services.  In April 2017, IATA celebrated 72 years of flying.   

• With over 60 offices worldwide, IATA maintains relationships with governments and other industry stakeholders around the world, advocating on behalf of its members on key industry issues
• Vision. To be the force for value creation and innovation driving a safe, secure and profitable air transport industry that sustainably connects and enriches our world.
• Mission. IATA’s mission is to represent, lead, and serve the airline industry.
• Representing the Airline Industry.

The IATA improves understanding of the air transport industry among decision makers and increases awareness of the benefits that aviation brings to national and global economies. Advocating for the interests of airlines across the globe and stopping unreasonable rules and charges, holding regulators and governments to account, and striving for sensible regulation are four important activities. 

  IATA helps airlines to operate safely, securely, efficiently, and economically under clearly defined rules. Professional support is provided to all industry stakeholders with a wide range of products and expert services.

• IATA Members.

From 57 founding members in 1945, IATA now represents some 265 airlines in over 117 countries. Carrying 83% of the world’s air traffic, IATA members include the world’s leading passenger and cargo airlines. IATA membership is open to airlines operating scheduled and non-scheduled air services that maintain an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registration.

• IATA Airline Membership Benefits.

Increasing Communication.

• The IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit bring together representatives from leading international airlines
• IATA helps members gain influence with the travel agent community through the IATA Agency Program  

Providing Key Commercial Services & Training.

• IATA programs help to strengthen the capabilities of aviation industry professionals
• IATA members can receive discounts up to 30% on a number of IATA publications
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a UN specialized agency, established by States in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).

ICAO works with the Convention’s 191 Member States and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector. These SARPs and policies are used by ICAO Member States to ensure that their local civil aviation operations and regulations conform to global norms, which in turn permits more than 100,000 daily flights in aviation’s global network to operate safely and reliably in every region of the world.

In addition to its core work resolving consensus-driven international SARPs and policies among its Member States and industry, and among many other priorities and programmes, ICAO also coordinates assistance and capacity building for States in support of numerous aviation development objectives; produces global plans to coordinate multilateral strategic progress for safety and air navigation; monitors and reports on numerous air transport sector performance metrics; and audits States’ civil aviation oversight capabilities in the areas of safety and security.

• Vision. Achieve the sustainable growth of the global civil aviation system.
• Mission. To serve as the global forum of States for international civil aviation.  ICAO develops policies and Standards, undertakes compliance audits, performs studies and analyses, provides assistance and builds aviation capacity through many other activities and the cooperation of its Member States and stakeholders.
• How ICAO Develops Standards.

The establishment and maintenance of international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), as well as Procedures for Air Navigation (PANS), are fundamental tenets of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and a core aspect of ICAO’s mission and role.

SARPs and PANS are critical to ICAO Member States and other stakeholders, given that they provide the fundamental basis for harmonized global aviation safety and efficiency in the air and on the ground, the worldwide standardization of functional and performance requirements of air navigation facilities and services, and the orderly development of air transport.

The development of SARPs and PANS follows a structured, transparent and multi-staged process – often known as the ICAO “amendment process” or “standardsmaking process” – involving a number of technical and non-technical bodies which are either within the Organization or closely associated with ICAO.

Typically, it takes approximately two years for an initial proposal for a new or improved Standard, Recommended Practice or procedure to be formally adopted or approved for inclusion in an Annex or PANS. Occasionally, this timescale can be expanded or compressed depending on the nature and priority of the proposal under consideration.

• United Federations of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA).

In the 1960s at the dawn of mass tourism, a few tourism professionals with great foresight saw the need of a global umbrella organization for the travel agency industry. By merger of Fédération internationale des agencies de voyages (FIAV) and Universal Organization of Travel Agents’ Associations (UOTAA), the Universal Federation of Travel Agents ‘Associations (UFTAA) was formed on November 22nd 1966 in Rome. Its first President was an Italian, Giuliano Magnoni, later followed by 24 leading personalities from all parts of the world. The federation was later renamed United Federation of Travel Agents´ Associations, still known under the same well-established acronym UFTAA.

As a globally recognized body UFTAA is the longest established negotiating partner with the leading travel and tourism organizations in the world. Of a special importance is the close co-operation with IATA, representing the interest of individual travel agents and as a partner in the IATA-UFTAA Training Programme. Two other organizations with close relationship are the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA) and the International Road Union (IRU). Also in areas which are more distanced from the daily worries of travel agents has UFTAA actively been and still is a spokes-person for the agent´s interest. Particularly worth mentioning are the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) through its Affiliate Member Programme and at various occasions the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates (IFTTA) and many more. The high-level contacts have enable UFTAA to assist national associations in their contacts with authorities and also to help individual agencies.

Through its history UFTAA has been a faithful, active and neutral advocate for all associations and independent travel agencies, irrespective of size and location. In the competitive environment of today a neutral umbrella organization like UFTAA is needed more than ever before to defend and promote the interests of travel agencies in their professional work on behalf and for the travelling consumers.

UFTAA gets ready to celebrate its 50 years of successful contribution to the Travel & Tourism Industry. UFTAA offers to its membership the valuable opportunity to be involved with UFTAA’s networking global platform in order to support good health of travel and tourism industry. UFTAA encourages associations; organizations; institutions and individual member agencies in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry to get connected via UFTAA. 

5.1 Mission.

UFTAA’s mission is to be an international forum where matters affecting the world travel industry are addressed, representing and defending the interests of incoming and outgoing tour operators, travel and tourism agencies before the governmental bodies, suppliers and other entities of international scope. It also aims at strengthening its members’ image and enhances the world travel and tourism industry and a sustainable tourism.

5.2 Functions of UFTAA.

To comply with its mission, the Confederation develops the following functions:

• To unite and consolidate the Federations of Travel Agents’ National Associations and to globally enhance the   interests of their members      
• To represent the travel agents’ activities before various world-wide bodies, governmental authorities and suppliers 
• To work towards the adoption of measures that will ease travel for the consumer and to offer services to its member federations 
• To offer, as a voluntary mechanism, an arbitration service which assists in solving conflicts resulting from commercial relations for which amicable settlement cannot be reached   
• To organize a world congress of travel agents and other meetings necessary to the exchange and transmission of knowledge.
• International and Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA).

January 1869, 45 Hotelmen met together in Koblenz at Hotel Trier, Germany and decide to create an Alliance between them under the name of All Hotelmen Alliance (AHA) to defend their interest, and they start to grow and get organized. Hotels were from different standards.

April 1921 various Local European, African, Latin, American hotels association met together and decide to merge into a new international Association and it becomes International Hotels Alliance (IHA). 

November 1947, after the end of the second world war and the creation of the United Nations, Hoteliers from International Hotels Alliance met together with The European Aubergistes association and the Asian Innkeepers Association and decide to merge into a large International Association to defend the Private sector worldwide from

Governments, Public sectors, Military etc…and create International Hotels Association (IHA) in London.

The IH&RA is the only international trade association exclusively devoted to promoting and defending the interests of the hotel and restaurant industry worldwide. It is a non-profit organization and is officially recognized by the United Nations. IH&RA monitors and lobbies all international agencies on behalf of the hospitality industry

6.1  Who are its Members?

• International, National and Regional Hotel and/or Restaurant Associations
• International and National Hotel and/or Restaurant Chains 
• Owners, Developers and Investors
• Individual Hotels and Restaurants
• Institutions of the Industry (hotel schools, educational centers, universities)
• Students / Independent Hoteliers and Restaurateurs

6.2  What Does IH&RA Do?

• Monitor issues that are raised by major international organizations involved in tourism.
• Represent the collective industry interests before policy makers.
• Lobby for better recognition of the hospitality industry worldwide.
• Lobby against damaging or costly attempts to regulate the industry.
• Create Global Councils around industry issues to debate positions & create solutions.
• Listen to its members to ensure that all issues are addressed.
• Plan a series of informative Council and Board meetings and an annual Congress.
• Provide support where requested to lend weight to local and regional issue.

6.3  Advocacy

As the only international trade association devoted to protecting the interests of the global hospitality industry, the International Hotel & Restaurant Association’s role is to monitor, research, and where possible, preempt the passage of regulation and taxation at the international level when this is deemed to run contrary to industry interests. The representation work involved in doing this is termed “advocacy” , i.e. advocating or defending the interests of a specific sector before public (and sometimes private) sector decision-making bodies.

Why to Undertake Advocacy?

The Travel & Tourism explosion of the last three decades has focused government attention on the hospitality sector as never before, bringing in its wake a surge of new regulation and taxation. Although laws are enacted at national level, they frequently have their genesis in international agencies (principally those of the United Nations) which have seen their role and mandate expand exponentially in recent decades.

As a result advocacy (or lobbying) to promote and defend the hospitality industry’s interests has been repeatedly stressed by Chain and National Association Chief Executives within IH&RA as the activity that constitutes their major expectation of membership. As a membership-driven association and the “voice of the industry”, IH&RA must be vigilantly proactive in protecting the global interests of the hospitality industry it represents. To do this, it is essential to monitor research and even more importantly, forecast the issues of concern and importance to its members and the industry at large

• Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organizations, comprising 95 governments, state and city tourism bodies, 29 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 63 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond.

Since 1951 PATA has led from the front as the leading voice and authority on travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region

• PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) offers unrivalled data and insights including Asia Pacific inbound and outbound statistics, analyses and forecasts as well as in-depth reports on strategic tourism markets
• PATA’s events create millions of dollars of new business each year for its members
• The PATA Foundation contributes to the sustainable and responsible development of travel and tourism in Asia Pacific through the protection of the environment, the conservation of heritage and support for education.

7.1  PATA Chapters.

PATA Chapters are established throughout the world to assist in the fulfillment of the objectives of the Association. They are local community organizations of travel industry professionals who join in a co-operative Endeavour – within the framework of PATA – to develop travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific area. There are 40 PATA Chapters around the world that make valuable contributions to local travel industry communities.

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The World’s Best Responsible Travel Organizations

By Discover Corps

November 4 is World Responsible Tourism Day , a day designated by World Travel Market and the United National World Tourism Organization in 2007 to encourage the travel industry to focus on responsible travel issues.

Their major objectives were to drive change by educating the industry and consumers alike on responsible travel behavior, exploring ways of making destinations more sustainable, debating key environmental issues impacted by tourism, and using WTM as a forum for encouraging the industry to drive the responsible tourism agenda.

To commemorate the 8th anniversary of this special day, we’ll examine 10 of the world’s top responsible travel organizations, including a bit about their history, mission and current projects:

The Center For Responsible Travel

CREST was founded in 2003 by Dr. Martha Honey, the author of Ecotourism & Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? The research institute’s mission is “to promote responsible tourism policies and practices globally so that local communities may thrive and steward their cultural resources and biodiversity.”

Based in Washington, DC, the non-profit uses policy-oriented research to design, evaluate and improve the social and environmental commitments of responsible tourism, promoting more sustainable practices in the travel industry.

Their initiatives include coordinating research projects, creating publications, participating in and leading international workshops and conferences, leading responsible tourism course and seminars, and supporting social service and conservation projects through their charitable arm, Travelers Philanthropy.

Destination Stewardship Center

An offshoot of the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations, the DSC was founded by NatGeo editor Jonathan Tourtellot. It was Tourtellot who originally coined the term geotourism, for “Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

Created “to help protect the world’s distinctive places by supporting wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship,” the NGO focuses on the ways in which the travel industry can either help or harm a given destination.

Their website offers a Destination Watch featuring ratings and news about intriguing places around the world; Stewardship Resources designed to help destinations improve; and resources for “Geotravelers” interested in traveling more responsibly and sustainably.

Ethical Traveler

A project of San Francisco’s Earth Island Institute, Ethical Traveler was founded by author/journalist Jeff Greenwald. The concept came to him after he wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post urging travelers to boycott travel to Burma to protest the military government that imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Travelers really are a huge untapped political action group,” Greenwald said in a 2014 interview. “What if there was some way to combine their voices in order to promote human rights and social change? A lot of countries rely on tourism dollars. especially in the developing world. We can and should exert pressure on those countries to do the right thing with the environment, social welfare, and how they use the resources we, as travelers, are bringing in.”

The organization is best-known for its annual report on the World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations, which weighs the merit of each country based on factors such as Environmental Protection, Social Welfare and Human Rights.

Global Ecotourism Network

The newest organization on this list, the Global Ecotourism Network was founded in early 2015 by a group of ecotourism professionals from all over the world.

The founders– all former members of the Advisory Committee to The International Ecotourism Society– established GEN to be a source for evaluating  ecotourism practices and disseminating authentic trends, applied research and experience-driven studies in the field.

Their ultimate mission is to unite the world’s myriad national and regional ecotourism associations, destinations, indigenous peoples, tour operators, professionals and academics to help build a stronger ecotourism industry, provide advocacy and thought leadership, and encourage innovation and authenticity.

Global Sustainable Tourism Council

Formerly known as the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, this NGO started out in 2007 as a coalition launched by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Its original mission was to foster a better understanding of sustainable tourism practices and the adoption of universal sustainable tourism principles. The original partnership worked to craft a set of criteria organized around the four pillars of sustainable tourism: effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits to the local community, reduction of negative impacts to cultural heritage, and reduction of negative impacts to the environment.

The GSTC’s Destination Criteria (GSTC-D) was released in November 2013, and now serve as the baseline standards for tourism destination management and as a framework for sustainability standards. The organization is focused on engaging everyone in the tourism industry– purchasers, suppliers and consumers alike– to adopt the criteria.

The International Ecotourism Society

Founded in 1990 by Megan Epler Wood, TIES was the world’s first NGO dedicated to ecotourism as a tool for conservation and sustainable development. The following year the Board of Directors defined ecotourism, which has since been updated to “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.”

The organization works to unite communities, eco lodges , conservation initiatives and sustainable travel industry professionals, all engaged (and hopefully partnered) in creating an ecotourism infrastructure built on social, economic and environmental sustainability.

TIES encourages certain principles among everyone who sells, promotes or participates in ecotourism activities, including minimizing negative impacts, building environmental and cultural respect, providing direct economic benefits to fund conservation, constructing and operating low-impact facilities, recognizing the rights and beliefs of Indigenous People and working in partnership to empower them.

International Sustainable Tourism Initiative 

Part of Harvard University’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, the ISTI is run by Director Megan Epler Wood, who founded TIES and served as its CEO from 1990 to 2002. Now she manages this comprehensive program, which is designed to build stronger health and sustainability systems within the tourism industry.

Their primary goals are to aid in the development of sustainable economic and environmental solutions, encourage research regarding the impact tourism has on global health and the environment, help create tourism development strategies that address climate change and protect local ecosystems, and encourage the development of business solutions to manage waste and waste water and protect clean water and air.

Working in conjunction with various non-profit foundations, industry members and governmental organizations, ISTI’s current research focuses on Advanced Tools for Destination Management and Climate Change Preparation, Healthy & Sustainable Food Supply Chains for Tourism, and Policy Innovation in Tourism Development.

The Long Run Initiative

The flagship initiative of the Zeitz Foundation, the Long Run was launched in 2009 to pursue founder Jochen Zeitz’s mission to create and support sustainable, ecologically and socially responsible projects and destinations around the world.

At the core of their work is the belief that long-term sustainability can be best achieved via a holistic balance of the 4Cs- Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce– in privately managed areas. These four elements form the heart of their Global Ecosphere Retreats (GER) accreditation system, which helps identify institutions that manage natural areas of value by pursuing environmental goals such as biodiversity conservation or forest restoration.

Their current projects include natural wastewater treatment plants designed to improve the quality of river and aquifer water in Costa Rican communities, and a forest restoration initiative in Tahi, New Zealand that aims to eradicate invasive plant species and improve biodiversity in the forest, beach, wetland and estuarine habitat.

Sustainable Travel International

Inspired by Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring (often credited with launching the environmental movement) and the International Year of Ecotourism (convened by the UN in Quebec), Alabama-bred Brian T. Mullis founded STI in 2002. The former tour operator’s goal was simple: He wanted to make ecotourism mainstream.

To that end, STI developed a set of standards by which airlines, destinations, hotels and tour operators could assess their progress in terms of economic, environmental and social impact to ensure that tourism was helping to drive conservation and alleviate poverty. They later got into offering carbon offsets for major corporations, as well as traveler philanthropy funds in developing nations such as Ethiopia, Honduras and Mali.

Their current initiatives include establishing regional alliances to collaborate on responsible destination management; and the 10 Million Better Campaign, STI’s commitment to improve 10 million lives by 2025 as well as galvanize the broader tourism industry to make similar commitments and use their Impact Monitoring System to measure those improvements.

United Nations World Tourism Organization

Based in Madrid, the UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism as a source of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability. Its origins date back to 1925, when the International Congress of Official Tourist Traffic Associations (ICOTT) was formed in the Netherlands.

The organization’s membership currently includes 156 countries, 6 territories and over 400 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. Together they work to generate knowledge of the global tourism market, promote responsible tourism policies, foster education and training, and provide sustainable development tools through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries.

The UNWTO is the oldest and largest responsible tourism organization in the world, playing an increasingly vital role in developing sustainable tourism as a means of generating economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for human rights, particularly with regards to developing nations with nascent tourism infrastructures.  –Bret Love

BIO: Bret Love is a journalist/editor with 21 years of print and online experience, whose clients have ranged from the Atlanta Journal Constitution to Rolling Stone. He is the co-founder of ecotourism website Green Global Travel and Green Travel Media .

6 responses to “ The World’s Best Responsible Travel Organizations ”

• Pingback: Viva Las Vegas | Ron Mader

Dear Bret Love: First of all thank you for putting together this list of organizations dedicated to promote responsible tourism. Before locating your article I saw a post referencing it to a group established to discuss GSTC topics. And on first sight the impression was that there is a ranking of the world’s top responsible travel NGOs. I guess the title encourages that thought and considering the post I saw, one or the other reader would use it in that context. Thus I was wondering and wanted to ask you if beyond the descriptive part of what the listed organizations do, is there any kind of ranking? Are there any criteria to arrive at or be part of the world’s top responsible travel NGOs? What type of information would a NGO dedicated to responsible travel have to provide to be considered for the listing; and last no least how is the ranking arrived at?

I hope you find a spare moment to share some more detail on the topic Best Thomas Meller

The “Best” of anything so un-quantifiable as responsible travel NGOs is inherently subjective. The post’s title is all about inciting readers to click and read the piece. In this case, I based my decidedly unscientific choices on a combination of longevity, notoriety and respect within the field. Thanks for reading!

“Travelers really are a huge untapped political action group,” Love that. I wish more people understood the power of their tourism dollars and thought about how their spending as travel consumers makes a real difference. Each time we spend, we essential vote for what we want in the world. From saying “No” to elephant rides just one afternoon to considering the where and how we travel for our entire trip, travel consumers have real power to force change – for the good or bad.

• Pingback: Why Responsible Travel Matters (and Why It Doesn’t)

Such an informative blog. Thanks for sharing this with us.

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National Travel and Tourism Strategy Overview

2022 national travel and tourism strategy.

The Strategy focuses on U.S. government efforts to promote our nation as a premier destination grounded in the breadth and diversity of its communities, and to foster a travel and tourism sector that drives economic growth, creates good jobs, and bolsters conservation and sustainability. Drawing on engagement and capabilities from across the federal government, the Strategy aims to increase not only the volume but also the value of tourism.

Leverage existing programs and assets to promote the United States to international visitors and broaden marketing efforts to encourage visitation to underserved communities.  

Reduce barriers to trade in travel services and make it safer and more efficient for visitors to enter and travel within the United States.

Extend the benefits of travel and tourism by supporting the development of diverse tourism products, focusing on underserved communities and populations. Address the financial and workplace needs of travel and tourism businesses, supporting destination communities as they expand their tourism economies. Deliver world-class experiences and customer service on federal lands and waters that showcase U.S. assets while protecting them for future generations.

Reduce travel and tourism’s contributions to climate change and build a travel and tourism sector that is resilient to natural disasters, public health threats, and the impacts of climate change. Build a sustainable sector that integrates protecting natural resources, supporting the tourism economy, and ensuring equitable development.

National tourism

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• Antonio Alcover Casasnovas 3  

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National tourism consists of all tourism activities practiced by residents of a particular country, including domestic and outbound tourism. In order to make it possible to compare, integrate, and share information among countries, the United Nations sponsored a conference on travel and tourism in Rome in 1963. This conference recommended definitions of “national tourism,” among others (visitor, tourist, and domestic tourism) for compiling international statistics. In 1968, the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (precedent of the World Tourism Organization) approved the 1963 definitions and has since encouraged its use (Leiper 1979 ). Today, most of these definitions are compiled by the UNWTO ( 2010a ). National tourism is “domestic and outbound tourism , that is, the activities of resident visitors, within and outside the country of reference, either as part of domestic or outbound trips” (UNWTO 2010b : 15). It covers “the [national] tourism consumption of resident...

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Leiper, N. 1979 The Framework of Tourism: Towards a Definition of Tourism, Tourist, and the Tourist Industry. Annals of Tourism Research 6:390-407.

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IMF 2009 Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual. International Monetary Fund http://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/Seriesm/SeriesM_83rev1e.pdf (10 March 2015).

UNWTO 2010a International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 http://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/Seriesm/SeriesM_83rev1e.pdf (10 March 2015).

UNWTO 2010b Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework, 2008 http://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/Seriesf/SeriesF_80rev1e.pdf (10 March 2015).

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Alcover Casasnovas, A. (2016). National tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01384-8_573

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International Tourism Organisations

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Today, the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses many of the lucrative industries like oil exports, food products or automobiles. Tourism has become one of the key players in international commerce and represents at the same time one of the main income sources for many developing countries like India. This growth goes hand in hand with an increasing diversification and competition amongst the domestic as well as international destinations.

Table of Content

• 1.1 International Air Transport Association (IATA)
• 1.2 United Federation of Travel Agents Associations (UFTAA)
• 1.3 American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)
• 1.4 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
• 1.5 World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)
• 1.6 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

This global spread of tourism in industrialised and developed states has produced economic and employment benefits in many related sectors – from construction to agriculture or telecommunications.

The contribution of tourism to the economic well–being depends on the quality and the revenues of the tourism offer. The tourism organisations assist destinations in their sustainable positioning in ever more complex national and international markets. The tourism organisations work on a national as well as international basis.

The important international tourism organisations are:

International Air Transport Association (IATA)

United federation of travel agents associations (uftaa), american society of travel agents (asta), pacific asia travel association (pata), world tourism organisation (unwto), international civil aviation organisation (icao).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organisation is also headquartered.

IATA’s mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry.

Currently, IATA is present in over 150 countries covered through 101 offices around the globe.

IATA was formed on 19 April 1945, in Havana, Cuba. It is the successor to the International Air Traffic Association, founded in The Hague (Netherlands) in 1919, the year of the world’s first international scheduled services. At its founding, IATA had 57 members from 31 nations, mostly in Europe and North America. Today it has about 230 members from more than 140 nations in every part of the world and represents 93% of scheduled international air traffic.

IATA’s stated mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry. All the Airline rules and regulations are defined by IATA. The main aim of IATA is to provide safe and secure transportation to its passengers.

The main objective of the organization is to assist airline companies to achieve lawful competition and uniformity in prices.

For fare calculations, IATA has divided the world in three regions:

• South and North America
• Europe, Middle East and Africa: IATA Europe includes the geographical Europe and the countries Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
• Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the islands of the Pacific Ocean

These areas are called as traffic conference areas and abbreviated as TC1, TC2 and TC3 respectively. IATA assigns 3–letter IATA Airport Codes and 2–letter IATA Airline Designators, which are commonly used worldwide.

The United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA) emanates from the Universal Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations created in Rome, Italy, on November 22nd, 1966. UFTAA was originally founded as a result of a merger of two large world organisations, FIAV and UOTAA, recognising the need to unify travel agencies and tour–operators into one international federation.

In 1989, coming from Brussels (Belgium) UFTAA set up its General Secretariat in the Principality of Monaco (a microstate in Europe).

UFTAA started its operation as a Confederation on January 1st, 2003. It is a non–profit Confederation of international scope, representing Regional Federations comprising some 80 national associations.

UFTAA is a world body representing the travel agency and tourism industry. UFTAA effectively represents Travel Agents and Tour Operators’ views on both Inbound and Outbound travel by continuous dialogue and consultation with other international organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH & RA), the International Union of Railways (IUR), the International Road Union (IRU) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

UFTAA has consultative status with the UN/NGO/ECOSOC and works closely with other world bodies such as UNESCO, WHO etc. for sustainable and responsible tourism. UFTAA is an affiliate member of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and its Business Council (WTOBC).

UFTAA’s mission is to be an international forum where matters affecting the world travel industry are addressed, representing and defending the interests of incoming and outgoing tour operators, travel and tourism agencies before the governmental bodies, suppliers and other entities of international scope. It also aims at strengthening its members’ image and enhancing the world travel and tourism industry and a sustainable tourism.

To comply with its mission, the Confederation develops the following functions:

• To unite and consolidate the Federations of Travel Agents’ National Associations and to globally enhance the interests of their members
• To represent the travel agents’ activities before various world–wide bodies, governmental authorities and suppliers
• To work towards the adoption of measures that will ease travel for the consumer and to offer services to its member federations
• To be an investigation and information centre supporting the member Federations’ work and to offer information for technological development
• To offer, as a voluntary mechanism, an arbitration service which assists in solving conflicts resulting from commercial relations for which amicable settlement cannot be reached
• To organise a world congress of travel agents and other meetings necessary to the exchange and transmission of knowledge

About UFTAA Members and Membership

Affiliates or Partners: These categories include individual travel agencies, hotels, tourist offices and, generally speaking, the stakeholders of the tourism and travel industry.

Members: This category includes the national or regional associations of travel and/or tourism.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is a business improvement organisation which represents and defends the business and regulatory public policy interests of travel intermediaries including travel agencies (including traditional “brick and mortar” agencies, online portals, mega– and corporate agencies and small and mid-market businesses) and tour providers (including wholesalers and operators).

The headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia state, (USA). Its members include travel agents, intermediaries and supplier companies who offer travel products and services such as tours, cruises, hotels, destinations, tourist bureaus, ground transport, car rentals, local guides and hosts.

ASTA calls itself the leading advocate for travel agents, the travel industry and the travelling public and has over 20,000 members in 140 countries. It is governed by a 15– member US-based Board of Directors drawn from members eligible to vote.

Most members are based in the USA. Voting members are only US-domiciled Travel Agent Members and Premium Members. According to ASTA bylaws (last revised in August 2009), ASTA has eight membership categories:

• Travel Agent Members
• International Travel Agency Company
• International Travel Professional
• Travel School
• Allied Company (product, service and information suppliers to travel agencies)
• Allied Associate

Aim and objectives of ASTA, India are as follow

• Increase membership to ASTA International by creating awareness of ASTA’ International’s activities, like trade shows, road shows, destination expo, IDE’s etc.
• Encourage International members to become ASTA India Chapter members by highlighting the benefits like attending the Road Shows, Destination Expos and the business opportunities that it brings along with it.
• Educate the Indian membership on the various segments of travel market in the US and allow them the opportunity to explore a segment that they specialise in.
• Educate the Travel Agents in the US on Incredible India and its potential in the different segments of the market.
• Organise seminars and invite specialists as guest speakers.
• Maintain relations with Indian Tourism authorities and keep them updated on the ASTA International and ASTA India initiatives.
• Maintain a continuous line of communication with newsletters, destination and product updates and circulate it amongst ASTA International and ASTA India membership.
• Keep ASTA India members updated on the happenings in the US Political, Economic scenario and the American Travel Market in general.
• Organise FAM Trips for ASTA International agents to India.
• Meet regularly amongst ASTA India Membership and exchange views and have a guest speaker.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with PATA’s private and public sector members, we enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region.

On Tuesday, January 15, 1952, it was officially announced that 25 active and 12 allied members had signed the constitution and bylaws of what was now known as the Pacific Interim Travel Association (PITA). PITA was legally incorporated in the state of Hawaii two months later.

In its first year, PITA also worked with governments to ease entry and exit requirements for foreigners, seeing success in Japan, the US and the Philippines. By the second conference in March 1953 (held in Hawaii like the first) PITA had increased its membership from 33 active and allied members to 49. It was also at this conference that it was decided to change the association’s name to the ‘Pacific Area Travel Association’ – or PATA.

Even with the clarity of vision that hindsight provides, it would be difficult to imagine a better time to have started the Pacific Interim Travel Association* than that chosen by the organisers and 91 delegates to the First Pacific Area Travel Conference in 1952. They had displayed an uncanny sense of timing in addressing an issue whose time had come, which, in the largest sense, was developing travel to the Pacific region.

By the early 1950s, those who had an interest in the region were facing a tremendous range of opportunities. In 1952, commercial use of the jet airplane was still several years away and so was the explosion in Pacific travel that would occur in the 1960s. However, the Pacific Area Travel Conference of 1952 began to lay the essential foundation for the boom years to follow.

Fast forward to the present and travel and tourism is viewed by many notable economists to be one of the great growth industries of the 21st century. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)’s advantage is that it continues to influence the direction the industry takes through its unique membership structure of public–sector tourism organisations; air, land and sea carriers; and organisations engaged in the production, distribution, financing, consulting, educating and other technical aspects of the travel industry.

The theme “Proud Past, Promising Future” was adopted for the 50th PATA Annual Conference in 2001, during which members reflected on their Association’s achievements. PATA has unquestionably contributed to the sustainable development and success of travel and tourism in both the Pacific and Asia; has become the leader of Asia Pacific travel and tourism. The story of PATA is the story of the Association’s dedicated people – its members, officers, board and staff.

2004 saw PATA change its Mission Statement to include tourism ‘to, from and within’ Asia Pacific, thereby recognising the importance of the region as a growing outbound market. In 2010, PATA launched the Travel Intelligence Graphic Architecture (TIGA) initiative to enable better decision making by tourism professionals.

Anyone from the following sector can be a member of PATA.

• Cruise Line
• Destination Management Company
• Event Venue
• Government (Tourism Organisation)
• Hotel Chain/Hospitality Management Company
• Individual Hotel property
• On–line Travel Business

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organisation is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information on international tourism. This organisation represents public sector tourism bodies, from most countries in the world and the publication of its data makes possible comparisons of the flow and growth of tourism on a global scale.

The World Tourism Organisation plays a role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of developing countries.

The Organisation encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, with a view to ensuring that member countries, tourist destinations and businesses maximise the positive economic, social and cultural effects of tourism and fully reap its benefits, while minimising its negative social and environmental impacts.

UNWTO is committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, geared toward reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.

council and the UN agreed to establish the WTO as a specialised agency of the UN. The significance of this collaboration would lie in “the increased visibility it gives the WTO and the recognition that will be accorded to. Tourism will be considered on an equal footing with other major activities of human society.

As of 2010, its membership included 154 member states, seven associate members, two observers.

15 of these members have withdrawn from the organisation for different periods in the past

• El Salvador
• Philippines
• Puerto Rico

Additionally, there are some 350 affiliate members, representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

Aims and objectives of WTO

• Promotional development of tourism
• International understanding, peace, prosperity and human rights
• Fundamental freedom of all without distinction to race, caste, sex, language or religion.

To attain this aim, the organisation shall pay particular tension to the interest of the developing countries in the field of tourism. The organisation shall establish and maintain effective collaborations with appropriate organs of UN and other agencies.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters are located at Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The ICAO should not be confused with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade organisation for airlines also headquartered in Montreal, or with the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), an organisation for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP’s) with its headquarters at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands.

The forerunner to the ICAO was the International Commission for Air Navigation (ICAN).

• It held its first convention in 1903 in Berlin, Germany but no agreements were reached amongst the eight countries that attended.
• At the second convention in 1906, also held in Berlin, 27 countries attended.
• The third convention, held in London, United Kingdom in 1912 allocated the first radio call signs for use by aircraft.

The ICAN existed until 1945, when the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organisation (PICAO) was established. The PICAO became the ICAO in 1947.

CAO members are 189 of the United Nations members and the Cook Islands. The non–member states are Dominica, Liechtenstein, Niue, Tuvalu, Vatican City and the states with limited recognition.

The ICAO also standardises certain functions for use in the airline industry, such as the Aeronautical Message Handling System AMHS; this probably makes it a standards organisation.

The ICAO defines an International Standard Atmosphere (also known as ICAO Standard Atmosphere), a model of the standard variation of pressure, temperature, density and viscosity with altitude in the Earth’s atmosphere. This is useful in calibrating instruments and designing aircraft.

The ICAO standardises machine–readable passports worldwide. Such passports have an area where some of the information otherwise written in textual form is written as strings of alphanumeric characters, printed in a manner suitable for optical character recognition. This enables border controllers and other law enforcement agents to process such passports quickly, without having to input the information manually into a computer.

ICAO publishes Doc 9303, Machine Readable Travel Documents, and the technical standard for machine-readable passports. A more recent standard is for biometric passports. These contain biometrics to authenticate the identity of travellers.

The passport’s critical information is stored on a tiny RFID computer chip, much like information stored on smartcards. Like some smartcards, the passport book design calls for an embedded contactless chip that is able to hold digital signature data to ensure the integrity of the passport and the biometric data.

Communication, Navigation, Surveillance /Air Traffic Management (CNS/ ATM) systems are communications, navigation and surveillance systems, employing digital technologies, including satellite systems together with various levels of automation, applied in support of a seamless global air traffic management system.

The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. Following are the examples of commonly used ICAO codes

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