Session on Sustainable Tourism: a tool for development and poverty alleviation

Transcription

1 Session on Sustainable Tourism: a tool for development and poverty alleviation SUSTAINABLE OCEANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GREEN ECONOMY AND THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY Principality of Monaco, 29 November 2011 Luigi Cabrini Director, Sustainable Development of Tourism World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

2 International Tourist Arrivals,, Current situation and forecasts UNWTO Tourism 2030 Vision Receipts 2010: 919 billion US$ (+5%) 2030: 1.8 bn million Middle East Africa Asia and the Pacific Americas Europe 2012: 1 bn 2010: 940 mn : 528 mn Source: World Tourism Organization

3 UNCSD (Rio+20) From Rio 92 to Rio+20 UN Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD) Global Sustainable Tourism Council Green Economy and Tourism Davos Process on Climate Change and Tourism Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty (ST EP) International Year of Ecotourism and Quebec Declaration on Ecotourism World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg MDG Summit: Millenium Development Goals Global Code of Ethics for Tourism Earth Summit in Rio, Agenda 21 and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development

4 Sustainable Tourism Definition based on Rio 92 Principles Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments.

5 Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) Comprehensive set of principles intended to guide stakeholders in responsible and sustainable development of world tourism Adopted by the UNWTO General Assembly in 1999 & acknowledged by the UN General Assembly in 2001 Translated by 46 countries and territories

6 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002 Art.43 of the Plan of Implementation stresses the role of Tourism as a tool for development: Promote sustainable tourism development, in order to increase the benefits from tourism resources for the population in host communities while maintaining the cultural and environmental integrity of the host communities and enhancing the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and natural heritages.

7 Ecotourism - Minimises negative impacts upon the natural and socio-cultural environment. - Generates economic benefits for host communities. - Provides alternative employment and income opportunities. - Increases awareness towards the conservation of natural and cultural assets. Ecotourism is an important tool for poverty alleviation in rural areas. 75% of the 2 billion people living with less than a dollar a day live in rural and natural areas. Tourism arrests the rural-urban migration process that generates further poverty in large cities.

8 Importance of tourism in developing countries International Tourism Receipts (in billion US$) Growth rate World % High income Countries % Developing Countries % 50 LDCs % In 2008, international tourism receipts in developing countries grew to 36% of the world total Principal export sector in one third of the developing countries First source of foreign exchange earnings in most of the 49 LDCs (excluding oil)

9 Increasing local economic impact from tourism in selected destinations ST-EP Projects: Focus Training of local guides, hotel employees and workers of connected sectors Providing business and financial services to micro, small, medium and community-based tourism enterprises ST-EP Establishing business linkages between poor producers and tourism enterprises Facilitating the involvement of local people in tourism development around natural and cultural heritage sites

10 ST-EP projects world-wide wide Pilot projects to demonstrate how tourism can contribute to poverty reduction 100 projects approved for implementation in 33 countries; 69 projects completed Total project portfolio valued at over USD 10 million AMERICAS Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru EUROPE Albania MIDDLE EAST Yemen ASIA Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Nepal, Vietnam AFRICA Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia

11 The Davos Process on Climate Change and Tourism CC & Tourism. Djerba Adaptation to CC in the Tourism sector From Davos to Bali Low carbon travel T&T in the Green Economy CC and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges CC Adaptation & Mitigation From Davos to Copenhagen and Beyond 2003 Djerba 2007 Davos - Bali 2009 Copenhagen 2010 Cancun 2011 Durban 2015 MDG

12 The Davos Process Davos Declaration Climate is a key tourism resource but tourism is also a contributor to climate change (5%) Tourism is a vital economic factor and contributor to the MGD Adopt urgent policies to encourage sustainable development: economic, social, environmental and climate change responsiveness How to do it? Mitigate emissions (transport and accommodation) Adapt businesses and destinations to changing climate conditions New technology Help poorer regions adapting

13 Future CO2 Emissions from Global Tourism Scenarios of Mitigation Potential in Mt CO % -43% -68% Baseline 2005* Business as Usual 2035* Technical Efficiency Modal- Shift/Length of Stay Combined 2035 Mitigation Scenarios * Excludes same-day tourists

14 - Objectives 20% increase in energy efficiency among participating SME hotels in Europe. 10% increase in usage of renewable energy technologies among participating SME hotels in Europe. - Benefits for SME Hotels By adopting up-to-date energy technologies, SME hotels can: Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) This initiative supports small and medium hotels in the European Union to use renewable energies and energy-efficiency. Enhance their competitiveness Boost their sustainability Reduce CO2 emissions increase their level of Corporate Social Responsibility Benefit from partnership and networking opportunities

15 Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC) Coalition of 80 organizations working together to foster increased understanding of sustainable tourism practices and the adoption of universal sustainable tourism principles. GSTC: set of common guidelines created with the input of experts and companies from around the planet, defining sustainable tourism in a way that is actionable, measurable and credible. They set a minimum standard of sustainability for tourism businesses across the globe. Sustainability Management Social & Economic Cultural Environmental 37 criteria, 4 pillars 15 Bruno Maia/Naturezafotos.org

16 Global Sustainable Tourism Council Established in August UNWTO, UNEP and the UN Foundation are Permanent Members of the Council together with 11 members more: Fundación Plan 21 Gap Adventures/Planeterra InterContinental New York Barclay University of Utah Sabre Holdings Wild China Rainforest Alliance ECOTRANS Belize Tourism Board Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd. GSTC main objectives Management of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria Setting standards for destinations and other tourism sub-sectors not contemplated by the current criteria Developing market access strategies for sustainable products Building the accreditation program Supporting more sustainable destinations

17 United Nations Steering Committee on Tourism for Development The SCTD is an innovative approach to Delivering as One: Delivering as One for Tourism SCTD main objectives: 1. Support Developing countries needs for implementing tourism for development in an integrated approach, building on the strengths of each UN agency 2. Mobilize necessary financial resources through existing funding mechanisms (such as EIF), and work towards the creation of a Multi Donors Trust Fund for Tourism (for LDCs, and countries -ODA eligible). 3. Mainstream tourism in the global development agenda, as an instrument for development, poverty reduction and a green growth.

18 SCTD Tourism Services Portfolio Integrated Tourism Development The SCTD provides specialized tourism assistance aimed to maximize tourism s capacity to support countries in reaching their development goals, while preserving their cultural and environmental assets. The Services Portfolio makes available over 50 types of services organized around four pillars: Areas of intervention Implementing agencies BBuilding good governance and sustainability in tourism Promoting investment in the tourism economy Fostering the poverty reduction impact of tourism Encouraging human resources development UNWTO ITC UNDP UNEP ILO UNESCO UNIDO UNCTAD WTO

19 The Green Economy The definition of the Green Economy has evolved to include broader sustainability parameters: A Green Economy can be defined as an economy that results in improved human well being and reduced inequalities over the long term, while not exposing future generations to significant environmental risks and ecological scarcities Tourism is a main component of the Green Economy Initiative

20 Key Messages Green tourism has the potential to create new jobs Investing in greening of tourism can reduce costs Tourists are demanding the greening of tourism The private sector can, and must be mobilized to support green tourism The development of tourism is accompanied by significant challenges: energy and GHG emissions water consumption waste management loss of biological diversity effective management of cultural heritage

21 Investing in the greening of tourism Modeling tourism To quantify the likely effects of increased investments in tourism, the green investment scenario simulated in the modeling exercise allocates 0.2% of global GDP between 2011 and 2050 to the tourism sector. This will entail significant results in sub sectors such as energy, water, waste and biodiversity The Energy scenario Total energy consumption for tourism activities in 2050: 44% savings thanks to a modal shift to less carbon intensive transport (e.g. electrified train and coach) and behavioral changes (e.g. shorter-haul trips). CO2 emissions will descend -52% by 2050 Energy costs in Best practice hotels are reduced from 6% to 2.5% of annual turnover. The overall financial cost recovery of a destination s green strategy can be 117%

22 Conclusions Green Investment in tourism lead to significant resource conservation through efficiency improvement and reduction of losses, assuming a growing flow of tourists though with a shift toward less frequent but longer trips

23 Thank you!