Tourism Committee (TOU) Mr. Sérgio Guerreiro

Tourism Committee (TOU)

Dr. Sérgio Guerreiro

1. What is the mission and mandate of your Committee?

The recently renewed mandate of the Tourism Committee is to optimise the economic, environmental and socio-cultural benefits of tourism at national and sub-national level through medium and long-term strategic planning and sustainable development, soundly-developed data-driven tourism policy, and an integrated governmental approach promoting greater coherence between tourism and related policies. It seeks to improve the competitiveness, attractiveness and inclusiveness of destinations, and promote the digital, green and structural transformations for a sustainable tourism economy.

2. You have been designated Committee Chair. What is your background and what has convinced you to take up this post? How do you consider your background and experience contribute to such a role and function?

With more than 25 years of experience in the tourism sector in the areas of strategy, market intelligence, tourism policy and innovation, I am currently Senior Director for Knowledge Management and Innovation at Turismo de Portugal.

I Chair the OECD Tourism Committee and European Travel Commission’s Market Intelligence Group, and am also a Tourism Expert in several workgroups from other international bodies including UNWTO and WEF.

I have a PhD in Tourism, a MSc in Public Management and Administration and a BSc in Economics, and teach in the tourism field as Invited Adjunct Professor at Nova SBE, Nova IMS and Universidad Europea das Canarias and Executive Director of NovaSBE’s Westmont Institute of Tourism and Hospitality. I have been involved with the Bureau of the Tourism Committee since 2011. I fully understood the role it has to play, and believed that my experience might help the Committee achieve its goals.

3. What is your main priority as Chair?

My priority as Chair of the Tourism Committee is to continue to raise the level of engagement of Committee Members, and to improve the visibility of the Committee’s work. I have been working in areas critical to the future of tourism policies, like innovation or sustainability, and I believe I have a responsibility to bring that vision to the Committee, to help share knowledge in this area, and to work to ensure that the Tourism Committee is positioned as a leading organisation in this field that better supports governments as they work to define their strategic options.

4. How would you define the added value of your Committee in relation to the work of the OECD in an international context? How does it differ from other international fora dealing with the same topic?

The long OECD history and 74 years of Tourism Committee experience to improve prospects and policies for

The OECD Tourism Committee is the only international tourism forum associating all advanced economies (almost half of OECD Members are not members of the UN World Tourism Organization).

The work of the Committee is focused on economic, data-driven and policy issues important to highlydeveloped economies (e.g. competitiveness, the labour market, trade, transport, digital and climate transition).

The OECD, as a horizontal organisation, is uniquely placed to provide policy support to countries in the area of tourism and to better address the challenges of the sector (such as digitisation, inclusive growth and sustainability).

5. Are you facing any specific major challenge derived from the current multilateral environment?

The tourism economy has been seriously challenged by the depth and duration of the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. International tourism fell by around 73% in 2020, and only now in 2022 are signs of a strong recovery in the industry beginning to be seen. Multilateral efforts are key for the recovery, given the global and interconnected nature of sector – including for a co-ordinated and safe resumption of international travel. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is creating new uncertainties, and is expected to slow recovery, push up inflation and hit consumer confidence.

6. How do you encourage, and ensure national experts engage productively in the work of your Committee?

The engagement of delegates with the work of the Committee is an important function of the Chair, perhaps even the most important. Continuous dialogue with delegates, encouraging them to participate in discussions and to share their experiences is fundamental to the success of the Committee. I try to have a close relationship with all the delegates and get to know their work in their countries.

7. How do you help maximise policy coherence through the work of the Committee?

Tourism cuts across many policy areas, making co-ordination essential. The Committee is active in building linkages with important agendas and the work of other Committees (e.g. digitalisation, transport, skills, green transition, statistics).

There is also a strong alignment of priorities among the members of the Tourism Committee and it has been relatively easy to get the Committee's outputs to be consistent, aligned with the priorities of Governments as well as the private sector. In fact, our practice of having frequent dialogues with the private sector has strengthened this coherence.

Finally, I believe that my professional experience and recognition among peers has also contributed to ensuring this alignment of approaches.

8. How do you ensure effective decisionmaking by the Committee?

This has been a strong point of the Committee. We have a very well-defined agenda and priorities are clear to all delegates. The advance planning of work topics and decision points has clearly been an added value of the Committee. This is supported by discussions in the Bureau, whose level of experience and engagement is high.

I have to highlight here the important work of the Secretariat, which supports the Committee in an exemplary way.

9. Could you mention the most important documents/reports that the Committee/Group has issued in the last 2 years? Why are these important and what has been their impact?

These two years were years of very intense work by the Committee due to the need to support governments in the face of the challenges of the pandemic.

A first note to highlight is the work of the Committee to respond to the tourism crisis triggered by the COVID19 pandemic, and support recovery and resilience efforts. The policy note on Tourism Policy Responses to COVID-19 was one of the top notes on the OECD COVID-19 Hub, with over 650 000 downloads in 2020-21. It has been continuously updated during the course of the pandemic and which has constituted an important document to support governments in decision-making in the face of a greater challenge.

Another key reference is our flagship publication, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies, which is today an international benchmark for public policies in the field of tourism. The 2022 edition of will bring new analysis and insights on recovery efforts, with a focus on navigating the recovery in times of crisis, while promoting a resilient and green recovery.

The Tourism Committee has been supporting the G20 tourism agenda, including through the development of the G20 Rome Guidelines for the future of tourism under the 2021 Italy Presidency, and identified the promotion of tourism strategies that strengthen resilience, mobility, sustainability and inclusion, at a time when it is increasingly important to prioritise digital investments for a more sustainable future.

One last reference to the organisation of the 2021 edition of the OECD Global Forum on Tourism Statistics, Knowledge and Policies hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea on 35 November 2021, on the theme Reshaping tourism for a more resilient and sustainable tomorrow. It brought together more than 900 people from over 70 countries, who heard from more than 40 speakers, including ministers, vice ministers, senior officials, statisticians and industry leaders. It provided an important platform to collectively reflect on the future of tourism, and start to build a common agenda to move a stronger, fairer and more sustainable tourism economy in the future.

Publication of OECD Tourism Papers on Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on tourism and supporting recovery, Managing tourism development for sustainable and inclusive recovery, Preparing the tourism workforce for the digital future, and indepth Portugal case study.

10. How can you encourage synergies between policy communities?

The Tourism Committee's position greatly favours the achievement of these synergies, given the common agenda with SME, Entrepreneurship or Regional Development. This holistic approach that we have been trying to have and the frequent contact with other committees (health, digital) help a lot in the pursuit of a whole of government approach that favours the development of coherent and consistent policies in the sector.

11. How do you see the role played by the Secretariat?

As I said, the Secretariat plays an essential role in supporting the functioning of the Committee and above all in liaising with other horizontal areas of the OECD on issues critical to the development of the sector.

Proximity and working relationships with delegates are another positive factor that I would like to underline.

12. In relation to the standard-setting role, what do you suggest to maintain the relevance and impact of OECD standards over time? Which areas need strengthening?

The Tourism Committee naturally seeks to keep its legal instruments adequate to the priorities that the sector justifies and in line with the general guidelines of the OECD. The Committee is a reference source of international standards, and completed an indepth review of the two legal instruments under its responsibility in 2019. Work will shortly restart to revise these instruments and develop a single consolidated instrument, reflecting the changed policy context and post-COVID-19 priorities for tourism.

13. How have you ensured a contribution of your actions or influence to continuous improvement within the Organisation?

As Chair, I have sought to contribute to improving the impact that the OECD has on tourism, representing the Committee at various conferences and seminars and sharing my experience from other international organisations.

14. What are the practical implications of the work of your Committee/Group?

The Tourism Committee’s analytical work is insightful, evidence-based and highly respected, and is today a think tank internationally recognised for the relevance of its research and for the policy recommendations it formulates. The fact that it emanates from an economic organisation such as the OECD gives it a unique role as an enabler of data-driven tourism policies, a role amplified by the concrete analysis of key challenges and policy responses that will shape tourism in the years to come. The Committee actively promotes an integrated, whole-of-government approach linking tourism to policies such as economy, investment, transport, trade, including growth, employment, innovation, green growth, local development, SMEs and entrepreneurship.

15. What would be your key advice to a person taking up the post of Chair of an OECD Committee/ Group?

I strongly believe that openness and dedication to this role are fundamental for the success of the work expected by a Chair. They are essential to ensure effective participation by delegates who bring important knowledge, to establish close working relationships with the Secretariat and to work with other Bureau members.