India asks UNWTO to be a self-guided tourism industry

Ambika Soni, the Union minister for tourism and culture, on Friday asked the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to self protect the tourism industry from volatile economic trends and unforeseen natural disasters to maintain high growth rates in the sector. She was speaking at a two-day seminar of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at Jeju Islands in South Korea today. India is at present the Chairman of Executive Council of the world body.

Addressing to executives and delegates present at the 83rd Session of the Executive Council meeting of UNWTO, the Minister expressed her concern on the growth of the industry in the backdrop of increasing oil prices and economic recession, which is against volatile economic trends and moreover the unforeseen natural disasters has posed a serious challenge to the industry to guard itself.

The Indian minister urged the UNWTO to work in close coordination with international organisations that are working on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Management in order to prevent loss of life and essential infrastructure.

Pointing to two devastating natural disasters in last few months, and expressing her condolences to the victims of cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China, Ambika Soni stated that these caused unprecedented sorrow and misery in terms of loss of lives and destruction of wealth.

Adding it with inappropriate happenings with tourists such as harassment and terrorist attacks, the minister termed these as serious concerns which can discourage the tourists flow.

Suggesting in this regard, Tourism Minister said, “I wish to emphasise here today the importance of cooperation amongst all the UNWTO member countries on sharing of information on terrorists’ movement across borders and cooperation amongst police forces against criminal nexus networks.”

“In the spirit of cooperation, may I urge all the member countries to consciously resist ‘pressure’ for issuing of Advisories immediately following untoward incidents of crime or terrorism because such incidents are unpredictable in any region,” added Ambika.

Stressing on the importance of climate change, Ambika said, “The worldwide debate on Climate Change has taken into account the long term impact of tourism on environment. Notwithstanding that tourism contributes to climate change even if it is only 5%.”

Asking help from the rich countries for the developing nations, the tourism minister said, “We should examine various ways of helping developing economies to adapt to climate change challenges by removing obstacles that come in the way of their development. Since critical technologies, especially the Clean Development Mechanisms that would help to adapt to climate change are in the domain of the private sector it is not so easy for developing countries to access them.”

Attacking over the popular opinion, ‘development-oriented poverty reduction programmes are environmentally unfriendly, Indian Minister said, “Our own experience in India has shown that tourism pursued in a responsible manner could actually help in environmental sustainability.”

“Rural tourism, Adventure tourism, Eco tourism, Wild life tourism etc. all pursued in a responsible manner will conserve the environment in a big way. By contributing to creation of jobs at the local level it prevents migration of people from rural to urban centres, thus limiting carbon footprint,” she added.

“It also helps in promoting and preserving traditional art and craft in villages which otherwise would disappear in the face of modernisation and globalisation,” she further said.