KUALA LUMPUR, 4 December 2017 – The 6^th Global Summit On Urban Tourism (6^th GSUT) opening ceremony was officiated by YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, and witnessed by H.E. Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of UNWTO; H.E. Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-Habitat and YBhg. Tan Sri Hj. Mhd. Amin Nordin Bin Abd. Aziz, the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur at the Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur this morning.

The sixth edition of GSUT's organization has witnessed Kuala Lumpur being chosen as the host by UNWTO as the first city in Asia to host. The first GSUT organization was held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2012 with the theme "Catalyzing Economic Development and Social Progress". Based on the success of the conference, UNWTO has hosted 4 more series in Moscow, Russia with the theme "Implementing Innovative Strategies to Enhance Competitiveness and Business Development" in 2013, followed by Barcelona, Spain in 2014 with the theme "New Paradigm in City Tourism Development”. Next in Marrakesh, Morocco with the theme "Re-inventing City Tourism" and in 2016, this conference was held in Luxor, Egypt with the theme "Cities: Local Culture for Global Travelers".

Aptly themed “Sustainable and Competitive Tourism on the New Urban Agenda”, the 6^th Summit serve as a platform to share experiences, to brainstorm ideas and to propose direction and vision for sustainable tourism development, smart cities and urban planning for the future.

YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia reiterated that the movement of responsible tourism is rapidly gaining momentum among tourists; and travelers are becoming more aware of their ecological footprint. Towards the end, the Minister said, “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030 should remain at the heart of how we navigate our industry in the future. In this regard, I wish to underscore the need to harness the power of Public, Private and People Partnership, to work together as facilitators and contributors in achieving the SDGs.”

This summit benefited many stakeholders in the tourism industry in Malaysia such as government officials, private industry players, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as academicians to drive the tourism industry, especially the city's sustainable tourism industry to a better future in the future. It also promoted Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur as a metropolitan city that has been the leader of the city's tourism sector globally. In addition, the conference also promoted Malaysia as a unique tourism destination with the diversity of natural products and rich cultural heritage of multi-racial society and showcase world-class conference facilities available in the country.

This 6^th Global Summit On Urban Tourism (6^th GSUT) is divided into 4 sessions according to the following sub-themes:

• First Session - Tourism and the New Urban Agenda
• Second and Third Session-Key Factors for Urban Tourism Competitiveness
• Fourth Session-Tourists First: Success Stories on Urban Tourism Performance

It features key players in the tourism sector, policy makers and experts from both public and private sectors from around the world to share experiences, to brainstorm ideas and to propose direction and vision for sustainable urban tourism development sustainable urban city tourism city smart and urban planning for the future.

This summit will feature 20 expert panels and local and international moderators who were experienced in the tourism industry, particularly in sustainable urban development. It also served as one of the platform for Ministers and Senior Government Officers from UNWTO countries as well as private representatives to meet, discuss and exchange views with tourism industry leaders about sustainable and smart city tourism in this new millennium. It will also provide opportunities for networking among tourism players, Government Senior Officers and Tourism Ministers among UNWTO member countries.

ENDS

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2016, Malaysia registered 26.8 million tourist arrivals and RM82.1 billion in receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

Press contact:

Media Relations Unit:

Aliza Mansor, Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8789
Emel: aliza@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:

Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my

Caption

Photo 1:

Launching of 6^th Global Summit On Urban Tourism (6^th GSUT) by Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, H.E. Dr. Joan Clos (Second from Right), Deputy Director-General of MOTAC, YBrs. Puan Nor Yahati Awang (Right), Former Director-General of MOTAC, YBhg. Tan Sri Dr. Ong Hong Peng (Third from left); Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), H.E. Dr. Taleb Rifai (Second from left), Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, YBhg. Tan Sri Hj. Mhd Nordin Bin Abd Aziz at Hotel Majestic, Kuala Lumpur.

Photo 2:

Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz with Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) H.E. Dr. Taleb Rifai, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, YBhg. Tan Sri Hj. Mhd Nordin Bin Abd Aziz, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, H.E. Dr. Joan Clos and Deputy Director-General of MOTAC, YBrs. Puan Nor Yahati Awang at launching ceremony of 6^th GSUT.