Sustainable tourism - now   internationally acceptable?

Forum on Environment & Development

The action programme "Agenda 21" for world-wide sustainable development was passed by the United Nations at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In its 40 chapters, it practically left out the issue of tourism, even though tourism was then just as it is today not only one of the major economic sectors of the world but also impacts strongly and negatively on the environment and local communities. On the other hand, the prospects for tourism, if it is carried out in a sustainable manner, can be positive and sustainable.

This gap has in the meantime been recognised by the international community of states. At its special session "Rio+5", which in 1997 - 5 years after the Earth Summit – had to evaluate the follow-up process, the UN General Assembly asked the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), set up in 1993, to comprehensively deal with the issue of sustainable tourism at its annual conference.

Contrary to what is generally expected from international conferences at government level, the persons responsible fortunately showed quite clearly and concretely in their final document what they expect from the governments involved, from UN organisations as well as the major groups concerned, such as the tourism industry, in terms of commitment for sustainable tourism. The clear language of the CSD in this – not binding – final document may be due to the CSD’s character as a forum for dialogue rather than as an institution which produces legally binding results for the international community.

Governments are being called upon to finally develop appropriate frameworks by developing and implementing national plans for sustainable tourism. They should co-operate with all major groups concerned in order to ensure the active participation in environmentally appropriate planning and development especially at the local level. Small and medium sized enterprises as important generators of income and employment in tourism at the local and regional level should be given special support. Furthermore, governments are expected to intervene more strongly against the negative excesses of tourism such as exploitation, child labour, prostitution etc.

The tourism industry is being called upon to adopt voluntary measures such as appropriate management systems and to contribute to reducing environmental impacts of any kind. Existing voluntary initiatives of the tourism sector, such as quality labels, etc. should be subject to an independent evaluation. The World Tourism Organization (WTO-OMT) is being invited to open up their current work on a planned "Global Code of Ethics" for participation and to involve other major groups.

 
Unfortunately, however, no mention at all is made of the dangers from the increasing liberalisation of world trade for local and regional economies in developing countries. In the negotiations under the aegis of the World Trade Organization (WTO-OMC) on deregulation in world trade and especially in trade in services under GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), member states will commit themselves to granting equal treatment to foreign suppliers as to domestic ones. This will also eliminate barriers that have so far protected the local service sector.

Even though GATS is not meant to be a one-way street, supply structures set up or to be set up in the service sector in developing countries, especially at local and regional level, will be at particular risk of being displaced by foreign competitors with more capital and know-how. This problem has repeatedly been mentioned by NGOs in the CSD discussions, unfortunately without success. The CSD document rather supports foreign investment, without environmental or developmental precautions.
 

The traffic problems in the context of tourism have unfortunately not been addressed either, or marginally at most. In Germany alone, almost every second tourist goes on holidays by car. Last year, more than 20 million German tourists travelled by air plane. According to forecasts, the number of air passengers will increase by up to 8 % annually.

In science there is hardly any doubt about the negative impacts of aircraft emissions in high altitude on the world climate. The "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" commissioned by the Framework Convention on Climate Change at last dealt with the impacts of air traffic on the atmosphere.

However, it is obvious that demands for measures to reduce the growth in air traffic, such as the taxation of air fuel or technical adaptations towards kerosene saving and exhaust fume reduced aircraft with less noise emissions, do not meet with universal approval. Especially the long-haul destination countries at long distance from the major tourist sending regions of Western Europe and North America on this point do not take sustainability that serious, as they might lose part of their financially strong customers. It is left to the Framework Convention on Climate Change to subject air traffic to concrete reduction measures.

Even though the CSD results are not of legally binding character, the CSD is planning, as proof of its seriousness, to evaluate at its session in 2002 – in the "UN Year of Ecotourism" the activities that resulted from its recommendations. Apart from that, other UN organisations as well as binding conventions and international regulatory mechanisms such as the Convention on Biological Diversity have been addressed directly.
 

German environment and development NGOs have been actively involved in the preparations of this year’s CSD conference. They have submitted a position paper "Tourism and Sustainable Development" and have, in the course of the process, directly or in close co-operation with other NGOs, contributed to various statements and papers and have presented their positions in the CSD dialogues in New York.
 

The organisations in the ad hoc Working Group on Tourism continue to follow up on the international activities on tourism, concentrating on the following areas:

• Monitoring of implementation of the CSD work programme at national level in Germany

• Critically accompanying the process towards „Global Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism"

• Working towards increased financial support for NGOs in the South and improvement of network structures and exchange of information

Ad hoc Working Group on Tourism in the Forum on Environment & Development

Co-ordination: Ecological Tourism in Europe (Ö.T.E.) e. V.,

Am Michaelshof 8-10, D-53177 Bonn, GERMANY

Phone: +49-(0)2 28 / 35 90 08, Fax: +49-(0)2 28 / 35 90 96

E-mail: forumue@compuserve.com

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