Verdens mest udsatte og fattige nationer – de 48 såkaldt mindst udviklede (LDC)-lande – modtog 17 millioner turister i 2010 og de indbragte omkring 50 milliarder kr. i indtægter
International tourist arrivals in the 48 least developed countries grew from 6 million in 2000 to over 17 million in 2010. In the same period, international tourism receipts climbed from 3 billion US dollar to over 10 billion (ca. 50 milliarder DKR), reports the UN Thursday.
Tourism is one of the top three sources of export earnings for nearly half of the Least Developed Countries and is a priority sector for them to get more integrated in the global economy.
The contribution of tourism in advancing development was addressed during a Special Event on Tourism for Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction which was organized by the recently created UN Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD), during a major UN conference on least developed countries taking place in Istanbul, Turkey.
The potential of tourism in helping to lift people out of poverty is increasingly acknowledged and is supported by the growing relevance of the sector for poor countries.
– Most LDCs are rich in resources. All have young and vibrant populations. These men and women need decent jobs, education, training, so they can make the most of their country’s assets – minerals and other commodities, farmland, rich stores of biodiversity and tourism potential, said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, at the Fourth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV).
– UNWTO (FNs Organisation for Verdensturisme) is extremely pleased to have tourism playing an active role for the first time in such an important event as LDC-IV, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, adding:
– In spite of tourism’s proven contribution to foreign exchange generation, job creation and socio-economic development, low priority has so far been assigned to the sector in the development agenda.
– This is particularly surprising given that tourism has been clearly identified by developing countries themselves as a priority for their economic advancement, he noted.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Supachai Panitchpakdi, emphasized the critical importance of quality in the development of a competitive tourism sector in LDCs, including the quality of investment, infrastructure and human resources.
– The LDCs should aim at the quality segment in the global value chain and, as the Maldives successfully demonstrated, focus on excellence in the tourism product, said Mr. Panitchpakdi.
The UN Steering Committee outlined the support and technical cooperation that can be provided to LDCs by the UN agencies and programmes on an individual and joint basis.
The Services are built around four pillars:
1) building good governance and sustainability in tourism development;
2) promoting investment in the tourism economy;
3) fostering the poverty reduction impact of tourism; and
4) encouraging human resources development.
All of this will contribute to the preservation and safeguarding of natural and cultural assets that form the basis of tourism in LDCs.
Relevant links:
Joint Tourism Special Event: Promoting Tourism for Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction: www2.unwto.org/en/event/promoting-tourism-sustainable-development-and-poverty-reduction
World Export Development Forum: Private Sector Engagement with LDCs for Tourism-led Growth and Inclusive Sustainable Development: www.intracen.org/wedf
UN comes together to promote tourism for development:
www2.unwto.org/en/press-release/2011-04-07/un-comes-together-promote-tourism-development
