Refalo to chair World Tourism Organisation task force

Tourism Minister Michael Refalo was unanimously elected to chair the World Tourism Organisation’s Task Force on Destination Management at the conclusion of its first meeting convened on the 17 March under the presidency of WTO Secretary General Francesco Frangialli. The meeting was called to discuss and find ways to assist destinations in solving common problems.

Dr Refalo presented the first of the meeting’s two keynote papers. The Minister began by giving a broad review of developments in Malta over the last five years and proceeded to identify a number of challenges which the local and global industry is expected to face in the future.

The second keynote speech was delivered by Canadian Charles Lapointe, who dealt with the private sector perspective of the same theme.

Following a general discussion, agreement was reached that the Task Force would produce a document to clarify the conceptual framework and map the way forward. A special focus will be given to a number of problem areas including congestion, human resources development and data collection.

The other members of the WTO Committee are Martin Brackenbury, Chairman of WTO’s Business Council and President of the International Federation of Tour Operators (IFTO) and on behalf of the WTO’s Associate members, Rodolfo Manuel Baptista Faustino, the European representative of the Macao Tourist Board.