CTA Celebrates...
World Tourism Month
September is World Tourism Month and this year the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will hold special commemorative events in Ghana. The occasion is the 30th anniversary of World Tourism Day (27 September). The theme of this year’s events is “Celebrating Diversity” and UNWTO aims to highlight the world’s cultural wealth and the important role of sustainable tourism in revitalizing local traditions.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors globally and UNWTO estimates that, by 2020, international tourist arrivals will surpass 1.5 billion people. The tourism industry has become a major source of income for many developing countries. It provides economic and employment benefits in several sectors – including agriculture – but it can also take a toll on the natural resources and livelihood of local communities. Over the past two decades, there has been a trend towards sustainable tourism as a means of mitigating any negative effects and ensuring that host communities benefit from activity in the industry.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests that sustainable tourism requires a suitable balance between environmental, economic and socio-cultural elements – and development agencies seem to agree that sustainable tourism should provide long-term benefits with low impact. Through sustainable tourism, communities should be empowered to strengthen their local traditions and make decisions concerning the use of local resources.
Eco-tourism, agro-tourism and community-based tourism are all related sub-sectors of the sustainable tourism movement. Eco-tourism – or ecological tourism – is based on an interest in environmental conservation and providing direct benefit for local communities. Agro-tourism allows visitors to experience agricultural life first-hand. This might include assisting local farmers, participating in culinary festivals or learning about specific rural cultural practices. In community-based tourism, local residents invite visitors to the community and provide accommodation. This is managed and operated almost exclusively by the residents themselves and involves shared decision-making intended to benefit the entire community. (See our profile here.)
All of these efforts are geared towards an ideal of responsible tourism and can play a significant role in international development. UNWTO has developed a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2001 – and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has developed a Tourism Sustainability Scorecard. As we deal with the effects of a global recession and numerous threats to the environment, it is imperative that we pay close attention to the most responsible forms of tourism investment.
Awareness of the value of local heritage, resources and traditions can inspire conservation and preservation activities over the long term and World Tourism Day can be an opportunity to reflect on these issues. UNWTO has planned a series of events – including a Photo Competition – to mark the 30th anniversary. For more details, check out World Tourism Day on their website at http://www.unwto.org/wtd/.
Here are further sites of interest:
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO):
http://www.unwto.org/index.php
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Division of Technology, Industry and Economics – Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch – Tourism:
http://www.unep.fr/scp/tourism/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Division for Sustainable Development – Sustainable Tourism:
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/susdevtopics/sdt_susttour.shtml
The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (UNWTO):
http://www.unwto.org/ethics/background/en/background.php?subop=1
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) – Tourism Sustainability Scorecard:
http://www.iadb.org/news/detail.cfm?Language=English&id=5426
Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria:
http://www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org/
The International Ecotourism Society (TIES):
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) – Agro-tourism:
http://www.iica.int/Eng/organizacion/LTGC/agroturismo/Pages/default.aspx
Community-based Tourism:
http://www.communitybasedtourism.com/
Convention on Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean (STZC)
