Worid Tourism Organization and EU b'NH
The World Tourism Organization (WTO), since 2003 a specialized agency of the United Nations, is the leading international organization in the field of tourism- It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and practical source of tourism know-how.
With its hea.dqi32rte.rs in Madrid, Spain, the 'WTO plays a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, with the aim of contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and observance of. human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The WTO piays a catalytic role in promoting technology- transfers and international cooperation, in stimulating and developing public-private sector partnerships and in encouraging the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, with a view to ensuring that member countries, tourist destinations and businesses maximize the positive economic, social and cultural effects of tourism and fully reap its benefits, whiie minimizing its negative social and environmental impacts.
in 2004, the WTOs membership comprised of 144 ccur^r-es. t-even territories and more than 300 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities
The history of the WTO dates back to 1925 when the international Congress of Official Tourist Traffic Associations (iCOTTA) was set up in the Hague. It was renamed the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (ILTO) after Worid War II and became a technical, non-govemmental organization. As tourism grew and became an integral part of modem iife, it started to be clear thai there was a need for more effective tools to keep developments under review and to provide tourism intergovernmental machinery especially equipped ro deal with the movement of persons, tourism policies and tourism imDaccs. In 1969 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the"central role of the IUTO in the field of world tourism and in cooperation with the existing machinery within the UN. In 1975 the IliTO was renamed to the World Tourism Organization and its headquarters moved to Madrid.
The General Assembly as its principal gathering meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work as well as to debate topics of vital Importance to tourism sector. The Executive Council, Regional Commissions, Committees and the Secretariat deal with more day-to-day issues. There are six Regional Commissions corresponding with the division of the world into six regions for the purposes of the WTO. These regions are as follows: Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.
52      CHAPTER !!.'   INTERNÁT!OMAL ORGANIZATION IN TOURISM
To reflect the growing decentralisation of tourism administration, the WTO formed a task force to focus on issues thai are of special concern at the destination level, such as management of congestion at coastal destinations, economic measurement of tourism at the local level, destination marketing for cities, informanon and communicarion technologies, human resource development, and risk and crisis management at individual tourism destinations.
The WTO provides all stakeholders in tourism with methodological materials and manuals to all important issues of the tourism industry.
Tne WTO also plays an important ro.'e in collecting tourism statistical dara. it publishes for example The Compendium of Tourism Statistics (annually \ a Yearbook of Tourism Statistics (annually) and Tne Travel and Tourism Barometer (quarterly) mentioned in the Listening Comprehension.
headquarters = vedení firmy, decisive = rozhodující, promoting = propagujíc:, universal = celosvětový, všeobecný, reap = sklízet ovoce (přen.), public-private sector partnership = partnerství me2i státní sférou a soukromým sektorem, implementation * plnění, realizace, nongovernmental organization = nevládní organizace day-to-day issues = každodenní problémy effective tool = účinný nástroj, gathering = uskupení. ío approve the budget = schválit rozpočet, task force = komise, annually = ročenka, quarterly = čtvrtící ní k
WTO and Statistics
Statistici provided by the WTO emphasizes the economic significance o: tourism a: ;. global level. Tnc ability of a tourism destination to attract tourism revenues is influenced by a complex set of characteristics discussed in chapter 1. One source of econarr.se data on the economic significance of tourism in each country is ;ts balance of pa\ mencs. As i: was already mentioned, the complexity of tourism as an industry makes it difficult ro statistically distinguish tourism activity from other economic activities and to measure its contribution to the overall economy This leads to underestimating the role of tourism. The WTO has played a key role in improving the way in which tourism activity ^statistically identified and measured.
emphasize = zdůrazňovat, significance - význam, global level = celosvětová úroveň/ rovina, revenues = příjmy, balance of payment = platební bilance, distinguish = rozlišovat, overall = cetkovv
!\TSRKATlONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN TOURISM    CHASTER h