World Tourism in a Nutshell....and what we can do to contribute.

HAMMAMET DECLARATION 2007

Representatives of Parliaments and Local Authorities from 95 countries, meeting in Hammamet, Tunisia under the auspices of UNWTO and the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Tunisia, H.E. Mr. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to consider the role of Tourism in relation to evolving global trends, conscious of their important role in the overall governance and development of the sector, concluded that: Tourism transcends political or ideological differences, providing a unique basis for open, cross cultural dialogue, understanding and peaceful development.

1. The worldwide movement of tourists, for business and leisure has become a vital component of the harmonious evolution of our society. The right to travel, for contact, discovery, trade and experience is an increasingly important element of cohesion in a globalizing world.
2. The sector continues to make a powerful and sustained contribution to global and local economic growth, employment and trade flows, with particular benefits for developing countries and for poorer regions in all states.
3. Tourism has long term resilience, despite man made & natural disasters. Moderation of historical annual growth trends of 6% during the past half century to a projected 4% going forward, signals a maturing of the sector. It is particularly important, that developing country markets are growing at a higher rate than the global norm.
4. With sustainable management, the sector can make a lasting contribution to socio-economic development at both a global and local level. The tourism industry and its institutions are learning to anticipate risks, to respond rapidly to shock and are increasingly conscious of the need to match expansion with carrying capacity. This is particularly important at the local destination level where the impacts are most acute, where the public and private sector must collaborate closely for adequate response and where the views of communities have to be factored into the decision making process. This decentralization will intensify and the roles of UNWTO’s Affiliate Members and new Centre of Excellence for Destinations will be increasingly relevant.
5. Tourism has to play its part in responding to the two major challenges of our time - the issues of extreme poverty and climate change. The Secretary General of the UN has rightly identified the need for a coherent strategy – for energy conscious sustainability and for development focused solidarity.
6. UNWTO as the central UN Agency for the sector can seriously help the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and alignment of key programs of the organization for this purpose is a positive sign – most notably its ST-EP program which focuses on the use of sustainable tourism for the elimination of poverty and its application to community integration and capacity building. Tourism is well suited to support the MDGs – poorer countries all have important tourism export flows, direct impacts of tourism at community level is significant and catalytic indirect effects on other economic activities are substantial. At the local level it has unique potential for marginalized communities, for young people and for women.
7. UNWTO can also help the sector in the essential constructive response to the Climate imperative. That response has to establish a long term framework of change that must be initiated now with a focus on adaptation, mitigation and new technologies across all parts of the tourism supply and demand chains. Products, processes and structures will need to be re-focused at both industry and consumer levels. The need to protect developing and emerging countries, who rely on tourism exports, was emphasized – particularly in the context of their vital air transport development lifelines. The planned development of the 2003 Djerba Declaration with major stakeholder Summits in Davos, London and Cartagena was noted positively, as was the fact that UNWTO would be inputting for the sector to the UN Assembly in New York and the UN Bali World Summit.
8. To underpin its work on poverty and climate, UNWTO should consolidate its sector defining initiatives to measure economic impacts through the Tourism Satellite Account, to establish responsible tourism practices through the Global Code of Ethics to drive destination management through its Sustainability Indicators, to promote Africa through its Windows on Africa Portal and to support emergency response, particularly avian influenza preparedness, through its www.sos.travel initiative.
9. Tourism is a crosscutting sector which can provide valuable inputs and synergies for many sectors of the economy at local, national, regional and global levels – e.g. infrastructure, communications and investment. It is important that government at all levels recognize this reality and factor it into their primary decision making activities. The development community should also take account of both its social and economic impacts and synergies. As should the World Trade Organization in its Doha Development Round and Aid for Trade initiative.
10. UNWTO should promote this agenda. It should also increase efforts to engage the media in a mutually constructive open and responsible way.
11. Parliamentarians and Local Authorities provide a valuable governance input to the sector: The Government of Tunisia has hosted the 5th Forum with deep insight of the issues, challenges and opportunities for the sector as well as with its legendary hospitality. UNWTO should continue this tradition and should strengthen contact between meetings.

Hammamet Tunisia 15th June 2007

Fifth UNWTO International Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities Hammamet Tunisia, 13-15 June 2007

MY "TOP TEN TO-DOs TO TOWARD TOURISM GLOBALISATION"

Here are some of the things that I think we can do as the hospitality community to contribute to this Global Declaration from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

1. Meet annually with my local politicians and Minister of Tourism (note that they change almost every year) to emphasize,
   1. The cohesive influence of our industry and the ratio of foreign visitors to your property or the community as a whole.
   2. The economic impact of our business in the local community through wages, purchases of local products, retail activity by our visitors and volume of taxes through all sources.
   3. The contribution to the elimination of poverty through new entry level jobs provided each year.
   4. The ratio of young people and women who work in your hospitality community.
2. Form a local consortium of tourism partners to create strategy and address specific contributions that can be made to the issue of climate change.
3. Where and when possible, favour a portion of your foreign purchases from developing countries.
4. Familiarise yourself and your employees with the Global Code of Ethics.Download code_of_ethics.pdf Then do something with them!!
5. Determine the potential for sharing the Travellers' Code Download responsible_traveller.pdf
6. Engage the media periodically in a non-commercial global view of the positive effects of our industry.
7. Investigate additional ways for capacity building in the community.
8. Join the UNWTO as an Affiliate Member and take action with other global leaders.
9. Contact your country's representative and offer assistance if required. .....providing your country is a member. If not, find out why not!
10. Make contact with a hotel in a developing country and form an alliance for mutual benefit. If possible choose a country with an employee group connection.

It is rewarding to participate in this globally sustainable industry and contribute to the exponentially positive difference we are already making.

For additional suggestions for the next ten "To Do's", contact [email protected]