Over 300 representatives from the private and public sector were joined by prestigious academics to establish a consensus on tourism strategies for the next decade and beyond. The UNWTO Algarve Forum on Tourism and Science: bridging theory and practice,co-organised by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), its Knowledge Network programme and the University of Algarve, was held on 1-3 June 2011 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

This important event intended to bridge theory and practice in three main areas: (A) Development and Competitiveness, (B) Climate Change and Sustainability, and (C) Governance and Tourism Policy.

Concluding several months of on-line discussions, the UNWTO Algarve Forum stressed the significance of participation and efficiency in tourism governance as well as the need to develop new indicators to measure real effects of tourism on development and its impacts on climate change.

The UNWTO Algarve Forum discussions were organized by the UNWTO Knowledge Network with the able support of one of its most active members, the University of the Algarve. Participants agreed to establish a platform to carry forward the work initiated during the last few months within the UNWTO Knowledge Network and the Forum, and build a community of knowledge on tourism, providing a framework of support for policy-making on development, governance and climate change goals. The results are to be translated into a set of guidelines and policy programmes known as the UNWTO Algarve Consensus.

To read the three executive conclusion papers of the Forum, please download the documents below.