The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the GSMA, the global association unifying the mobile ecosystem, have announced a partnership to promote the upskilling of people in underserved communities, engaged in tourism. With their combined expertise in responsible tourism and mobile connectivity, the UNWTO and GSMA will help marginalised groups, particularly women and indigenous peoples, provide new tourism services to improve their livelihoods.
The partnership has been developed as part of the GSMA-led Digital Declaration, which unites CEOs from across industry sectors who are committed to acting ethically in the digital era and delivering what matters most to digital citizens, industry, and governments.
Enabling digital entrepreneurship
The GSMA and UNWTO recently provided the first training sessions. Focused on digital marketing and delivered in Chiapas and Veracruz in Mexico, these workshops have helped local women acquire new skills to identify new audiences and promote their artisan textiles online.
The workshops form part of the UNWTO Weaving the Recovery project. This project is delivered with partners from Mexico, including -NGO Impacto and Centro de las Artes Indigenas (CAI), as well as the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA).
Currently millions of indigenous women across the globe require training that could enable them to harness the potential offered by online channels, develop their business plans, and partake in cultural exchange with their peers by using new technology.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General, UNWTO, said: “The digital transformation of tourism ensures that the social and economic benefits it offers are enjoyed more widely than ever before. UNWTO is happy to partner with GSMA to reach communities and individuals that stand to benefit most from the restart and recovery of our sector.”
This is an excerpt from a news release originally published by the UNWTO.
