8602.0 - Tourism Newsletter, Mar 2008  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/04/2008   
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Tourism Statistics | news
What's happening in tourism

Beijing Olympics 2008

This year, the entire world will look towards Asia with the celebration of the first ever Olympic Games in the People's Republic of China.

The Beijing Games will be a unique opportunity to bring Olympic education and values to the youth of China and the Asian Continent.

(Source: http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2488

Image: Surf lifesavers
Australia and US Open skies agreement

Australia and the United States have signed the long-awaited Open Skies Agreement which could make trans-pacific travel subtantially cheaper.

The agreement will allow additional Australian and US Airlines to operate between the two countries and remove restrictions on competition.

Almost two million passengers fly between the US and Australia each year.

(Source: NewZealand Herald/www.nzherald.co.nz)

G'Day USA Program

Australia's tourism industry has been centre stage for the past week in Los Angeles as multiple events promoted the country to millions of Americans at G'day USA Australia Week 2008.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Geoff Buckley said the Los Angeles program of G'day USA had drawn significant coverage and exposure of the nation's tourism businesses.

(Source: Tourism news centre/ www.tourism.australia.com)

World Youth Day 2008

World Youth Day is the largest youth event in the world. Organised by the Catholic Church, it gathers young people from around the world, building bridges of friendship and hope between continents, people and cultures. In July 2008, Sydney will welcome around 300,000 visitors for World Youth Day, which will feature the first visit to Australia by his holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

General Assembly: Strong Support for World Tourism Day Themes for 2008 & 2009

Madrid, 4 December 2007

Following the successful World Tourism Day (WTD) 2007 theme 'Tourism opens doors for women', the General Assembly underscored the importance of WTD to be concieved as a yearly campaign to raise awareness on the constructive social role of Tourism. WTD 2008 will be hosted in Peru abd carry a theme around the tourism sector's response to the challenges of climate change.

(source: www.unwto.org)

Rugby League world Cup 2008

The World Cup will be played at the end of the 2008 season in Australia to mark a season-long celebration of Rugby League's centenary Down Under.

ABS NatStats 08 Conference

Planning for the ABS hosted NatStats 08 Conference is well underway. The conference will be held from 19-21 November 2008 at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne. It will connect the users and the producers of official statistics and provide an opportunity for participants to discuss strategies for improving statistics for policy and decision makers.

The focus of the conference will be on measuring progress in Australian society and future information needs. An array of high profile policy and decision makers from across the community will ensure a varied and exciting program.

The NatStats 08 Conference will be linked with the global initiative being led by the OECD on Measuring Progress in Societies and with the Australian initiatives being developed through the 2020 Summit and the National Reform Agenda.

If you would like more information on the conference please email Mark Lound at mark.lound@abs.gov.au or phone 02 6252 6325. Alternatively, if you would like to register your interest in the conference, please contact Conference Solutions on natstats@con-sol.com or phone 02 6285 3000.

Keep your eyes open for details of the conference in future editions of Service and Tourism Newsletter.

United Nations Statistical Commission

The joint United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) / United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) workshop on tourism statistics was conducted in July 2006 in Madrid. The workshop focussed on the revision of Recommendations on Tourism Statistics (770.34 KB pdf) approved by the 27th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in 1993 and issued jointly by the UN and the UNWTO in 1994. The revised Recommendations were submitted to the 39th session of the Commission (February 2008) for approval. At the same session, the Commission had before it the revised text of Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework.

The Commission welcomed the report and commended the United Nations Statistics Division and World Tourism Organization on the successful completion of the revision process. The International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 (IRTS 2008)were adopted, with the final text to reflect suggestions by the Commission, and UNWTO and UNSD were requested to develop an implementation programme including preparation of a compilation guide and organization of training workshops in collaboration with supranational and regional organizations.

The Commission also took note of the updated version of Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008.

The International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics 2008 and Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 will be made available in all official UN languages as soon as possible.
(Source: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/sc2008.htm)