Tourism Segment  -- Dialogue Starter Papers

Promoting Broad-Based Sustainable Development Through Tourism Whilst Safeguarding the Integrity of Local Cultures and Protecting the Environment (Community Development)

Prepared by the UN CSD NGO Steering Committee.
Co-ordinated by Victoria Elias, Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development 'Eco-Accord', and
Esmeralda Brown, Southern Co-Chair, UN CSD NGO Steering Committee.
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Contents:

  1. Problems
  2. Solutions
  3. Institutional Actions
  4. Possible Partnerships

1. Problems

Early tourism development has given little consideration to natural resource limitations, impacts on wildlife and indigenous cultures. The human environment and development has been largely ignored. Within the process of globalisation local communities' participation and nature conservation are threatened and often overlooked.

If tourism is to be sustainable, it must improve the lives of local people, protect their environment and health and offer a better future. In many instances tourism can be seen as a vehicle to empower local communities and protect the environment through the development of new employment opportunities, the enhancement of local economies, preservation of indigenous knowledge and practices, public awareness and education.

Sustainable tourism can create positive opportunities for community development in remote areas. The business sector can choose sustainable tourism over other more polluting ventures. Long and short term development plans should be developed so that tourism and its benefits are spread within the area. To develop tourism in a sustainable manner it is necessary to define optimal tourism destinations in local areas and regions, ensuring enjoyment for the tourist and minimum impact or disruption for the environment and local communities.

Complex and broad based local communities' involvement in tourism development requires targeted investment strategies implemented by local decision-makers. Those strategies do not exist in many areas and the development of tourism is not planned. Tourism investments are too often imposed from the outside, and the potential for sustainable forms of tourism is weakened. Alternatives to mass tourism, eg cultural and ecotourism, can be influential in changing the nature of tourism. Tourism can benefit both tourists and local communities and allow for two-way interaction and education.
 

2. Solutions

In order for tourism to become a sustainable industry, countries, states, regions, and individuals must work with new technology, natural resource management and marketing concepts. Ideally, participatory planning and implementation will be a part of Local Agenda 21 processes. To ensure community involvement and to safeguard local cultures, sustainable tourism development should therefore involve all stakeholders in tourism development at all appropriate levels, facilitate the development of tourism services that are planned, managed and reviewed by the host community in Local Agenda 21 processes, ensure that tourism revenue stays in the host communities to enhance livelihoods and generate a profitable source of income, empower and motivate local groups to direct cross-cultural exchange in the way they wish and adopt practices which conserve, protect and preserve the environment.

Local and regional Tourism Boards should be created, involving all stakeholders. These Boards should:
a) promote sustainable tourism concepts in co-operation with local governments and all stakeholders, in line with Local Agenda 21 priorities;
b) work systematically to attract investment in sustainable tourism;
c) help other institutions in developing marketing strategies and training programmes and developing educational materials;
d) work together with different public institutions to involve all stakeholder groups in tourism activities, and bring greater benefits to the entire community;
e) co-operate with grass-roots organisations to develop employment strategies through sustainable tourism.
 

3. Institutional Action

The UN-CSD should: Multilateral financing and assistance agencies should: Governments should:
At national level: At local level: The tourism industry should: NGOs should:


4. Possible Partnerships

There is an urgency to constructively shape tourism in order to support local development and conservation goals. UN bodies and institutions, governments, industry and civil society should co-operate to launch a dialogue process on sustainable tourism. This must be planned within the framework provided by the various UN treaties and declarations. All the stakeholders involved in and affected by tourism should be involved in the development of action plans for sustainable tourism. Identifying mechanisms to achieve sustainable development goals in tourism must be a priority for co-operation. 'Good practices' in conserving culture and nature while developing sustainable tourism should be collected world-wide, involving all stakeholders. This process should lead to a multi-stakeholder round-table on strategic planning of local community involvement in tourism to be organised by UNEP as a side event at the Preparatory meetings for Earth Summit III in 2002.

There is an urgent need to assess the impacts of globalisation and the role of multilateral and bilateral development organisations in unsustainable tourism practices. An independent international assessment commission should be created under the CSD. NGOs, indigenous peoples, women's organisations and local communities should be involved in this assessment process together with all other stakeholders. The UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples should be invited to monitor impacts of tourism on indigenous peoples and local communities. The assessment is to be completed and published by the year 2002.

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