focus on knowledge creation for policy and business practices, training and skills development and Technical Assistance on the ground, with plans also in place to establish a first Tourism and Rural Development Observatory in Riyadh. UNWTO will also support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) embrace digitalisation with partnerships with the largest technology companies such as Amadeus, Mastercard, Cisco, Telefónica, amongst others already established. The UNWTO Digital Futures Programme aims to provide training on connectivity, ecommerce, big data and analytics, and online payments and security, to as many as 20,000 SMEs in 22 countries, including 5,000 in the first 12 months. Later this month (25-26 March), a UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures innovation forum will be in the United Arab Emirates. The goal of creating more added-value jobs in tourism through education will utilise a new UNWTO Knowledge Lab based in Riyadh, while a first Observatory on Quality of Tourism Education and Jobs will also be established to monitor the advancement of the strategy. To ensure the benefits of tourism education are enjoyed as widely as possible, 10 new online courses will be made available in Arabic through the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, and UNWTO will also work with higher education providers from the region through the new Tourism Faculty Development Programme. Riyad, Saudi Arabia
The UNWTO Regional Office for the Middle East will be a hub for promoting green investments in the tourism sector, both in the region and worldwide, including through projects developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other partners such as the Saudi Tourism Development Fund (TDF) – responding to the UNWTO climate action framework.
COLOMBIA TOP COUNTRY TO RECOVER THE FASTEST WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURISM COUNCIL Embalse Penol-Guatape, Colombia
The reactivation of tourism in Colombia is going from strength to strength with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) saying that the strategies the local government has been developing to encourage the industry is seeing positive results. Colombia, along with Mexico and Brazil, are currently leaders in regional tourism because they have been able to reduce restrictions without affecting the health of locals and tourists.
EUROPE‘SLARGEST PULLMAN HOTEL REOPENS: PULLMAN PARIS MONTPARNASSE Pullman Hotels & Resorts is delighted to introduce the fresh new style of Pullman Paris Montparnasse, a 115m, avant-garde skyscraper designed by Pierre Dufau in 1972, and a landmark of modern architecture in the heart of Paris. The flagship property sits within a new complex and is part of a larger project that will revitalise the Montparnasse station (which handles more than 60 million commuters a year, transform the Montparnasse Tower (by 2024) and reconnect to the Gaîté quarter and its theatres. Pullman Paris Montparnasse will launch the Artist’s Playground in 2022, one of the pillars of the Pullman brand: an immersive exploration of digital art. The works are displayed on a series of screens throughout the hotel and reflect the neighbourhood, its architecture, its daylight and nocturnal rhythms. In addition to these screens, the property will feature other digital cre ations, such as a 40-meter outdoor fresco and 3D printed sculptures. The Artist’s Playground and its installations constitute an astonishing art collection that will be continually refreshed. At 115m above the city, Skybar at Pullman Paris Montparnasse is the highest open-air rooftop bar in Paris. Following openings in Miami, Los Angeles and Nassau Bahamas, the latest Skybar features a cocktail bar and terrace on the hotel’s 32nd floor, with a VIP area that boasts Paris’s most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower and skyline. Pullman Paris Montparnasse is also committed to recycling more than 10 types of waste products and it will reduce waste by using refillable product dispensers in all bathrooms; go paperless, no longer use single use plastic and offer more vegetarian meal options, among other initiatives.
