2023-11-18
In a pivotal segment of the 2023 WTA • Xianghu Dialogue titled “Win-Win Cooperation: Tourism Links the World”, Mr. David ERMEN, Managing Director of Destination Capacity Ltd., shared his insights on the “Tourism: A Driver for Shared Prosperity”.
Here are excerpts from his speech:
Tourism plays a pivotal role in achieving sustainable regional economic development. The world’s tourism sector is on track to recover and expected to hit a new high. Looking ahead to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is crucial to assess the current state and future direction of sustainable development within the tourism industry.
Shared prosperity is at the heart of tourism. To achieve this goal, a complex array of factors including improved education, healthcare, infrastructure, and more must be considered. Only through inclusive development can we ensures that the benefits of growth are widely shared, creating a cycle that lifts people out of poverty and fosters further growth in the tourism sector.
Shared prosperity in its notion requires that the bottom 40% of the population in terms of income and consumption benefits equally and inclusively from overall economic and social development. The growth of the tourism industry and its socio-economic benefits should be shared, leaving no one behind.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide a framework to measure these underlying indicators.
In a collaborative effort to understand how tourism can drive shared prosperity, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) have completed a critical insight report titled “Tourism: A Driver for Shared Prosperity”. This report examines 12 case studies from seven countries, demonstrating how tourism creates shared prosperity at national and local levels.
The findings of this study reveal that inclusive cooperation in tourism acts as a “catalyst” for sustainable regional economic development. Such cooperation requires extensive global support, backing of international platforms and institutions, and the participation and effort of everyone involved. We hope the global tourism industry would join hands in realizing genuine, equitable, and inclusive change, creating a brighter future for all.