UN Tourism convenes 37th meeting of its Commission for Asia and and the Pacific

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) convened the 37th meeting of its Commission for Asia and the Pacific (CAP) In Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday, 15h April, concluding the event today, 16th April.

The 37th CAP assembly which featured 17 nations throughout the region was concurrently held with UN Tourism’s 17th meeting for the Commission for South Asia.

UN Tourism reported at the event that tourism within Asia and the Pacific is surging towards full strength following a slow initial recovery following the pandemic.

Relevant findings

Throughout 2024, destinations in the region welcomed 316 million international arrivals between them, equivalent to 87 percent of pre-pandemic numbers, and up from 66 percent at the end of 2023.  

South Asia saw the best results by sub-region, with a 92 percent recovery, and Maldives posted the highest growth in the region, welcoming 20 percent more tourists than in 2019, followed by Japan, Fiji, and Sri Lanka. 

This year’s host nation Indonesia welcomed 13.9 million tourists in 2024, recovering 86 percent of 2019 levels.

Member states were brought up-to-date of the progress being made guiding the sector’s development in the region throughout the event. 

The Report of the Secretary-General outlined progress made over the past year, most notably in the priority areas of Tourism Insights, Knowhow, Investments and Innovation, Education, and UN Tourism’s support on the ground for members.

UN Tourism secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Our shared priorities will lay the foundations for a more resilient and sustainable tourism sector for Asia and the Pacific. At the heart of it all, however, is innovation and youth empowerment through training and education. Asia and the Pacific is one of the most dynamic regions on Earth. It is a hub of digital transformation, new ideas and innovators. And the future looks very bright indeed.”

Banking on resilience

Between 2018 and 2024, Asia and the Pacific attracted over 640 greenfield tourism projects, worth a collective US$66 billion, and equivalent to more than one-third of global capital expenditure in tourism-related investment.

In Jakarta, UN Tourism made clear the need to further increase investment and direct FDI towards projects with the potential to enhance sustainability and boost resilience. 

Within the framework of the Commission meetings, UN Tourism hosted a first Regional Conference on Tourism Policy on Circular Economy, uniting public and private sector leaders to focus on key challenges including reducing waste, enhancing resource efficiency and rethinking supply chains across the sector. 

The secretary-general also made clear intentions to keep enhancing the work of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Nara, Japan, working towards strengthening this office as a hub for a wide-reaching Tourism Resilience Programme.

Hand-in-hand with boosting investments in resilient infrastructure, UN Tourism is also guiding investment in people in the region. 

Education and human capital development is a key priority, with member states updated on progress in this area. 

This includes the development of a first co-branded masteral degree in Tourism Management with Beijing International Studies University, with 15 full scholarships awarded annually, as well as a  co-branded masteral degree in Digital Marketing and Analytics with the Macao University of Tourism.