TALEB RIFAI
TALEB RIFAI, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Photo archive: UNWTO
Interview
What 2014 in tourism will be remembered for, which trends will mark 2015, what the role of digital media in tourism is, and his opinion on the further development of tourism in Croatia are just some of the questions we asked Taleb Rifai, SecretaryGeneral of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
www.unwto.org
'Sustainability is tourism´s
fundamental challenge, but also a great opportunity' Conducted by: Željka Kunštek Photos: Robert Kunštek, Željka Kunštek, archives of Šibenik Tourist Board and Crikvenica Tourist Board, Mario Romulić and Dražen Stojčić (source: Croatian National Tourist Board), Incredible India, UNWTO.
32
tipTravelMagazine February - April 2015
T
he 2014 tourism season has ended. What will it be remembered for? Were goals fulfilled and did any regions especially surprise you over the past year with their tourism activities? 2014 saw continued strong growth in international tourism despite of the many challenges the world faced last year, including an uneven economic recovery,
health pandemics and geopolitical tensions. According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals grew 4.7% in 2014, reaching 1,138 million. This means that, for the fifth consecutive year, the growth of international tourism surpassed our long-term forecast of 3.8% annual growth for the period 2010 to 2020. Growth was strong in all regions, but