UNWTO: Tourism’s leading role in creating more and better jobs

Global unemployment is still on a high with over 190 million in 2018, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). This alarming rate calls for all economic sectors to play their roles in job creation, providing sustainable employment. While the tourism sector currently generates only 10% of the world’s jobs, its potential – if well tapped, could be a major source of employment and entrepreneurship. This represents an important topic of discussion, having been an agenda in the 8th meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the G20 economies and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a release by the UNWTO, Argentina’s Minister of Tourism Gustavo Santos was quoted saying that, “We need to promote the role that tourism has in shaping the future of our world as the sector that will create more jobs in the coming decade”.

为此,需要对旅游业的未来工作采取综合方法,包括各国政府和有关利益攸关方制定和执行新政策。 其中包括拥抱创新和技术,适应先进的数字化转型以及促进新技能的开发和教育以创造新的体面工作。

In line with this, the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili called upon tourism leaders to “embrace the technological revolution and unleash its potential to create more and better jobs in our sector, making tourism a true pillar of the G20 objectives of inclusive and sustained growth”.

即便如此,重大挑战仍然阻碍着旅游业作为创造更多更好的工作机会的主要动力的发展。 新市场的兴起,生活方式的改变,竞争的加剧,人口结构的转变,技术的发展,机动性的提高,需求模式和旅行行为的发展以及向游客提供高质量旅游体验的压力只是G20政策说明中指出的挑战中的一部分。 。 值得注意的是,资格与工作场所现实之间的不匹配是一个主要的制约因素,在发挥旅游业作为雇主的全部潜力时不可忽视。

“作为旅游业的利益相关者,我们认为工作规范和采用工作场所文化至关重要。 此外,我们经常为员工和合作伙伴提供广泛的培训,以提高技能的发展。” Jumia Travel Kenya国家经理Cyrus Onyiego说道。

因此,二十国集团经济体的旅游部长提出了各种措施,目的是将这些挑战转化为竞争优势:

–鼓励在妇女和青年中促进充分和生产性就业并促进旅游业创新进展并促进创造体面工作,可持续企业和企业家精神的政策;

–建立有利的框架,以刺激创新,企业家精神并连接生态系统,将生态系统联系起来,包括初创企业,主要公司,投资者和旅游业价值链上的政府;

–在各级教育机构,私营部门,政府和技术合作伙伴之间建立合作机制,以审查教育计划和技能发展政策

–考虑到中小企业对旅游业,文化遗产和文化部门的重要性,因为它们对创造就业机会及其在保存和促进文化资源中的作用具有重要作用;

–促进数字技术的使用,以促进旅行并使技术利益相关者参与国家旅游政策

Tourism is the third largest export category in the world, after chemicals and fuels. In 2016, international tourism receipts and passenger transport accounted for 30% of the world’s services exports (1,442 billion USD) and 7% of overall exports in goods and services. In the G20 economies, international tourism generated nearly 1,060 billion USD, representing 6.3% of all G20 exports; according to UNWTO.

Jumia Travel的2017年款待报告显示,在肯尼亚,该行业对就业的贡献在9.3年为2015%。预计到2.9年,该行业的年均增长率为2026%,总体占总就业的9.5%。