Tourism is the Key to Economic Development & Prosperity
By Patricia Ann Talley, Editor
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, tourism can help solve some of the world’s problems, like climate change, poverty reduction, preserving ecosystems, and helping to sustain our planet.
Tourism is one of the world’s most important industries and creates millions of businesses and jobs. Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification and is now one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. Many new destinations have emerged in addition to the traditional favorites of Europe and North America.
Travelers visit beaches, mountains, national parks, historic sites, festivals, museums, worship centers, and countless other attractions. Travels buy local souvenirs, products, and goods. All purchases boost the local economy.
Tourism Helps to Address Climate Change
The tourism industry helps to address challenges like climate change. Unlike fossil fuel industries, that often resist efforts to address climate change, the tourism industry realizes that the environment and a sustainable planet are crucial to their business. Tourism destinations and resorts have a high interest to keep their beaches and environments clean and pristine so as to attract visitors.
Tourism Helps to Eliminate Poverty
Tourism also helps to eliminate poverty. The potential of tourism in contributing to lift people out of poverty is increasingly acknowledged and is supported by the growing relevance of the sector for poor countries. According to the WTO, tourism is one of the top three sources of export earnings for nearly half of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the world and is a priority sector for their further integration in the global economy.
Tourism Helps to Empower Women
Women play an important role in the tourism industry. Back in 2010, the United Nations World T
ourism Organization and UN Women (formerly UNIFEM) collaborated to report on women’s active participation in the tourism industry worldwide. This report found that much of the contribution of women in the tourism industry is invisible. Many women work behind the scenes in office jobs, in the kitchens, or in other support jobs.
Gender equality has proven to be profitable in the business world in general. This fact opens up new and interesting opportunities in the tourism sector, where the enormous potential of women has not been fully harnessed.
Women with higher levels of training and greater opportunities to develop their businesses contribute exponentially to quality improvements in all areas of tourism activity. With training, and given the opportunity, tourism can help women to lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty.
How Do We Create “Sustainable” Tourism?
The only way to permanently alleviate poverty or to conserve the environment is to create “sustainable” tourism. But, how do you we do this?
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), a global leader in promoting sustainable tourism, has created criteria to help come to a common understanding of “sustainable” tourism. These standards are the minimum that any tourism business should aspire to reach. The GSTC’s criteria also serve to help consumers identify sound sustainable tourism programs and businesses.
Support the GSTC Goals for Sustainable Tourism!
The GSTC Criteria for Sustainable Tourism are organized around four main themes:
- Effective sustainability planning
- Maximizing social and economic benefits for the local community
- Enhancing cultural heritage
- Reducing negative impacts on the environment
Business is encouraged to embrace these goals. Tourists are encouraged to travel to destinations and to stay in hotels that promote sustainable tourism. If implemented on a large scale throughout the tourism industry, these criteria will go a long way toward solving some of the world’s most important challenges
The tourism industry is vital to the world’s economy, it provides social and economic benefits for the local community, it enhances cultural exchange, and it is good for the environment!
