To understand whether tourism can be a
series of good, it is perhaps important to understand what tourism is really all
about.
As a general
term, tourism is the
act of paying money to go from one place to another, to see
different and unique sights. If we were
to view it from a global perspective, world tourism has seen substantial growth
whereby the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recognizes the
activity to be of remarkable economic and social phenomena of the past century.
Since the
formalization of tourism began, the industry has experienced many changes that have
led to the current travel and tourism situation. Some of the changes are
positive yet others are negative.
On 27th
September 2012, the world over celebrated World Tourism Day. The
day aims to foster awareness among the international community of the
importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. I had the
opportunity to attend the celebration in Zanzibar arranged by the Association
of Women in Tourism Tanzania (AWOTTA). This year’s theme was Tourism &
Sustainable Energy, with great emphasis on the importance of energy for sustainable development.
As
2012 has been declared as the International
Year of Sustainable Energy for all by the United Nations, it is no surprise
that the tourism industry has joined the sustainable energy bandwagon. Across
the industry, various institutions, organizations and alike are raising
awareness on the importance of increasing sustainable access to energy, energy
efficiency and renewable energy at local, national, regional and international
levels.
Billions
of people in developing countries rely on traditional biomass for cooking and
heating. Over a billion people are without electricity and even when energy
services are available, millions of underprivileged people are unable to pay
for them.
Access to modern affordable energy services in developing
countries is essential for the achievement of the internationally agreed
development goals, including the Millennium
Development Goals, and for achieving
sustainable development, which would ideally help to reduce poverty and to
improve the conditions and standard of living for the majority of the world’s
population.
A message from UN’s Secretary General
states perfectly the importance of paving the path for sustainable development
in tourism through the promotion of sustainable energy.
“Tourism and Sustainable Energy:
Powering Sustainable Development” is the theme of this year’s World Tourism
Day, selected to advance the goals of the 2012 International Year of
Sustainable Energy for All. Hundreds of millions of people around the world
depend for income on this energy-intensive sector. Sustainable energy will
allow tourism to continue to expand while mitigating its impact on the
environment.
Many in the tourism industry have
already shown leadership in developing and deploying clean energy solutions,
cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions in some regions by up to 40 per
cent through initiatives such as the Hotel Energy Solutions toolkit developed
by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the United Nations
Environment Programme. Other concrete advances include the growing use of
energy-efficient fuels in air travel, sustainable procurement strategies and
increasingly popular carbon offsetting schemes.
Everyone has a role in sustainable
tourism. I commend the tourism community for its growing commitment to
sustainable energy. I also thank the tourists who play their part by offsetting
their own carbon emissions, choosing ecologically friendly destinations and
providers, or simply by postponing having their towels laundered. Every action
counts. This year, one billion international tourists will travel to foreign
destinations. Imagine what one act multiplied by one billion can do.
On this World Tourism Day, I appeal
to all who work in and enjoy the benefits of this global sector to join in
building a more sustainable future for all (Ban Ki-moon).
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