MODUL University Vienna Accepted as Affiliated Member of the UNWTO

At its 84th session on 13th and 14th of October, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), located in Madrid, Spain, officially accepted MODUL University Vienna (MU Vienna) as its affiliated member, making it the first university in Austria to be recognized by the UNWTO. While the decision will be officially ratified at the next UNWTO General Assembly meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, in October 2009, MU Vienna already exercises all the rights and obligations of affiliate membership, and participates in the activities of the UNWTO. In addition, MU Vienna benefits from promoting its activities and events in the UNWTO newsletter and on the international calendar.

The affiliation of MU Vienna with the UNWTO reflects the university’s commitment to knowledge creation and dissemination. Questioning what is taken for granted and embracing change are fundamental values of this international institution. Consequently, MU Vienna has been honoured to contribute to international events such as the International Conference on sub-national tourism activity, which took place in Malaga, Spain, on October 29-31.

The conference was jointly organized by the UNWTO and the Regional Ministry for Tourism, Trade and Sport, with the support of CINNTA (Centro de Innovación Turística de Andalucía). Focusing on “Knowledge as value advantage of tourism destination”, Professor Karl Wöber, President of MU Vienna, was pleased to chair one of four working sessions. The conference was “the first stage in the creation of an international network of tourism expertise”, according to Mr. Antonio Massieu from the UNWTO. Serving as a good example of successful collaboration between MU Vienna and the UNWTO, there is much potential for further initiatives.