Madrid (TAN): United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is promoting walking tourism as a means to regional development.
In a report called “Walking Tourism – Promoting Regional Development”, UNWTO showcases the important role walking tourism could play in developing a region.
[ALSO READ: 126 arrested in Bangkok for scamming tourists]
Mentioning that walking tourism is now one of the most popular ways to experience a destination, UNWTO says: “It allows tourists to better engage with the local population, nature and culture. It also meets the growing demand for outdoor activities in general.
“Walking tourism can be developed anywhere as an offer of sustainable tourism with a relatively small investment yet high social and economic returns for residents and tourists alike, if properly developed and managed.”
In its report, the UNWTO stresses on the importance of partnerships and the involvement and support of local stakeholders in the development and maintenance of walking tourism for regional development, considering that residents and tourists end up sharing common goods and this might give ground for potential conflicts.
[ALSO READ: How do you know a travel experience is ‘authentic’ and ‘real’?
“Therefore, access to training and inclusion of the local population in the tourism value chain is needed in order to seize new business opportunities for regional development,” it says.
Beyond just walking activities, the UNWTO says, it was important to increase tourists’ demand for “experiencing” a destination in an authentic way. To that effect, showing the local cultural and nature could add value to promoting a walking tourism destination.
Related posts:
Sustainable Tourism Observatories of Asia and the Pacific meet to discuss Effective Monitoring of Tourism Data
UNWTO and Telefónica Join Hands To Help Destinations Use Data, AI To Sustainably Recover Tourism
Accessible tourism can be ‘game changer’ for industry
University of Oxford, UNWTO, backed by easyJet holidays, plan to develop first ESG framework for tourism businesses
