Press releases
13 December 2012
Madrid
Spain 		UNWTO welcomes the world’s one-billionth tourist
A British tourist visiting Madrid, Spain on 13 December has been revealed as the symbolic face of the one billion international tourists travelling in 2012. The tourist was welcomed by the Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain, José Manuel Soria, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, and the Mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella, at an event in Madrid’s Museo del Prado, held to celebrate a record one billion international tourists in 2012. The event, part of the UNWTO One Billion Tourists: One Billion Opportunities campaign, recalled how tourism can create billions of opportunities for growth and development around the world (Madrid, Spain, 13 December 2012). 
12 December 2012
Madrid
Spain 		International tourism hits one billion
One billion tourists have travelled the world in 2012, marking a new record for international tourism – a sector that accounts for one in every 12 jobs and 30% of the world’s services exports. On the symbolic arrival date of the one-billionth tourist (13 December 2012), UNWTO revealed the actions tourists can take to ensure their trips benefit the people and places they visit, as voted by the public.     
7 December 2012
Lisbon
Portugal 		Tourism key for jobs and exports says President of Portugal accepting the UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism
The President of Portugal, Anibal Cavaco Silva, has highlighted the importance of tourism to the country’s jobs and exports on the occasion of the presentation of the UNWTO / World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Open Letter on Travel and Tourism which aims to rally support for tourism among world leaders (Lisbon, Portugal, 6 December 2012).
30 November 2012
Doha
Qatar 		How tourism can cut emissions – UNWTO outlines strategies at COP18 Doha climate change conference
In its on-going effort to cut global tourism emissions, UNWTO brought together experts from United Nations agencies and Oxford University at UN climate change talks in Qatar to present the latest strategies helping to reduce tourism’s contribution to global warming.
23 November 2012
Madrid
Spain 		German tourism companies pledge to uphold the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
The German Travel Association (DRV) and thirteen of its members have joined the growing list of tourism enterprises and associations to commit to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (Budva, Montenegro, 17 November 2012).
15 November 2012
Madrid
Spain 		UNWTO unveils winners of the 2012 Ulysses Awards
An online tool that allows tourism business to assess and improve their accessibility and an initiative encouraging tourists to stay with families in Malaysia are among the five winners of this year’s UNWTO Ulysses Awards. 
13 November 2012
Madrid
Spain 		Leading scholar awarded top prize for contribution to tourism knowledge
Erik Cohen, one of the world’s leading social science scholars in the field of tourism, has been named this year’s winner of the UNWTO Ulysses Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge, honoring those within academia making a significant contribution to the advancement of tourism. 
13 November 2012
Madrid
Spain 		UNWTO announces winners of the first UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement
The Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Mr. Shao Qiwei, and the founder of the international hotel chain Meliá Hotels, Mr. Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, have been named as the first winners of the UNWTO Award for Lifetime Achievement. 
8 November 2012
London
United Kingdom 		Ministers of Tourism call for intra-governmental coordination to address visas and air connectivity
Ministers of Tourism gathered in London for the 6th UNWTO/World Travel Market (WTM) Ministers’ Summit concluded that complicated visa processes and policies that limit air connectivity continue to present major barriers to the growth of travel and tourism. Ministers and representatives from major tour operators and airlines further called for increased intra-governmental cooperation and support from the highest levels of government to break such barriers (London, United Kingdom, 6 November 2012).
6 November 2012
Madrid
Spain 		One Billion Tourists: One billion Opportunities - new UNWTO campaign calls on one billion tourists to make their actions count
Small changes in travel behavior can contribute to positive change throughout the world. With one billion tourists traveling the world in a single year in 2012, transforming these one billion tourists into one billion opportunities is at the heart of the online campaign launched by UNWTO to celebrate this historic milestone.