More than 300 participants convened in
Tunis for the 4th UNWTO International Conference on ‘Tourism and
the Media’. The event, held in cooperation with the Ministry of
Tourism and Handicrafts of Tunisia, counted with the support of CNN
International.
Over twenty countries were represented
at the 4th UNWTO International Conference ‘Tourism and the Media’
that took place in Tunis under the patronage of the Ministry of
Tourism and Handicrafts of Tunisia.
«The creation of new partnerships
between tourism and media is an excellent opportunity for dialogue.
Tourism, as does the media, has the noble mission of making people
travel around the world, bringing cultures closer together and
promoting the values of tolerance and solidarity ” said the
Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts of Tunisia, Salma Elloumi Rekik.
“Media constitute major stakeholders
for the tourism sector, not only in terms of disseminating
information, but also with regard to connecting with the public to
promote a better understanding of the sector and the principles of
sustainable tourism development.” said UNWTO Secretary-General,
Taleb Rifai, opening the Conference.
Talking about Tunisia he added “Tunisia
is an example to the world in the way it is consolidating its
democracy, as recognized by the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize
to the National Dialogue Quartet. Tunisia is also a destination of
excellence and a long-term leader in the region and the world. We at
UNWTO are fully confident in the ability of Tunisia’s tourism
sector to overcome the current challenges and regain momentum”.
“Accuracy, responsibility and
transparency are the framework in which we, the journalists, should
operate,” said Jim Bittermann, CNN anchor and key note speaker at
the Conference.
Bridging the gap
Sanam Shantyaei, from France 24,
emphasized that “journalists need to be approached by those working
in the tourism sector in an appropriate manner and with adequate
resources as media constitutes the main channel to the general
public.”
In that sense, the impact of media was
underlined by most of the speakers, like Taieb Zahar, Director of the
Tunisian magazine ‘Réalités’ who stated that “the work of
journalists currently has a great impact in the image and positioning
of countries.”
Communicating in times of crisis was
also addressed during the Conference with participants stressing the
need for professional coverage but also access to information and
facilitation of resources from tourism authorities in a timely
manner.
In that regard, Mr Richard Barnes,
Editor-in-Chief at Cleverdis gave some recommendations to parties
involved in the tourism sector. “Tourism authorities should look
to the different channels to reach media, not only through press
releases, for instance. If they communicate with the tourism
agencies, they will reach also the general public and this will be a
great plus for the country,” he said.
As the Conference aimed at fostering a
new framework of interaction with the media, a number of
recommendations were emphasized through the different debates and
exchanges. Among those, “be credible, close, on target, available,
transparent, realistic, a facilitator, useful to and respectful of
the media angle” were underlined.
“Media is the best partner that you
can have, so do not be afraid of the media as journalists are the
best catalyzer of your work”, concluded Mr Taleb Rifai, UNWTO
Secretary General closing the event.
No comments:
Post a Comment