Unwto Celebrating Diversity Ghana

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World Tourism Day 2008 UNWTONEWS - SPECIAL EDITION

Tourism Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, New Technology & Finance

27 September Lima, Peru

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Message from the UNWTO Secretary-General for World Tourism Day 2008

Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change

Climate change is one of the greatest

ommendations “should not discriminate

consensus measures for the tourism sec-

global challenges in general, and to sus-

against developing countries by creating

tor to address climate change without

tainable development and the UN

obstacles to their economic development

losing sight of all other priorities, espe-

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

and in particular of those developing

cially poverty alleviation and tourism

in particular.

countries located at long distance from

contribution to the MDGs.

tourists generating markets”. Our call to respond to the challenge of

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Catalyzing grassroots action by the tourism sector to face this challenge is at

Our call to action is to change habits and

climate change consists of a year long

the centre of this year’s World Tourism

position renewable energy at the fore-

campaign during 2008, with World

Day Theme, Tourism: Responding to the

front of international response by pro-

Tourism Day on 27 September in Peru as

Challenge of Climate Change.

moting the action oriented Davos

one of its highlights. A global high-level

Declaration Process, encouraging

meeting around this subject will gather

Tourism is one of the few sectors that cuts

tourism stakeholders to adapt, to miti-

public and private stakeholders and con-

across a whole range of economic and so-

gate and use new technology and secure

tribute to the evolving planning and ac-

cial activities, and a key economic and job

financing for the poorest countries to

tion towards overall sustainability.

driver in the developing world. We there-

face the challenge of climate change. I am certain that we all share these con-

fore can and must play an active role to tackle the double challenge of climate re-

UNWTO is part of the UN roadmap to

cerns. Now is the time to work effective-

sponse and poverty alleviation.

climate response and has been develop-

ly and respond to these challenges.

ing guidelines for the tourism sector As the leading UN agency for tourism,

since 2003, in collaboration with the UN

I look forward to celebrating World

UNWTO’s input from Davos to Bali 2007

Environmental Programme (UNEP) and

Tourism Day with you!

has shown our determination to carry out

the World Metheorological Organization

rigorous action to implement a carbon-

(WMO). This is an example of our active

neutral roadmap in tourism. We encour-

involvement in the UN’s “Delivering as

age urgent adaptation of a range of poli-

One” initiative on UN System-wide co-

cies which promote sustainable tourism

herence. “One UN” aims at ensuring a

that incorporates environmental, socio-

faster and more effective development

economic and climate responsiveness.

of operations and accelerate progress to achieve the MDGs.

As agreed during UNWTO’s General Assembly in November 2007, these rec-

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It is here where UNWTO has identified

UNWTO: Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals

Francesco Frangialli UNWTO Secretary General

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Message from Mercedes Araoz Fernández, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru

Tourism, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Today’s world faces two great challenges:

environment and sustainable devel-

due to climate change: the disappear-

extreme poverty and climate change. The

opment.

ance of glaciers, coastal alterations, prolonged periods of drought, and floods, among others.

gent change of behaviour in the general

Tourism flows travel from the developed

population. Tourism can encourage such a

countries via long-haul flights that ac-

change through the responsible use of

count for 2.7% of total emissions--ex-

The way to maintaining the benefits of

energy and natural resources.

tremely harmful--whose combustion

tourism and moderating its contribution

takes place at high altitude. In addition

to climate change entails the responsible

The growth of tourism has increased

to this we must take into account the

use of the natural resources and the en-

considerably. In the countries of the

domestic trips generated by tourism,

ergy that is currently available, while at

southern hemisphere, tourism has

which lead to increased emissions of pol-

the same time encouraging a shift to re-

proven to be a prominent element of

lutant gases, as well as excessive con-

newable energy sources--and this with-

their economies, as well as an activity

sumption of water and energy.

out forgetting the necessary measures to make tourism a factor for stimulating the

that uses a great deal of labour and

economy at the local level.

opens up opportunities for small enter-

Although tourism contributes to climate

prises that provide products and services

change, restrictions on long-distance

to the sector:

tourism would be counterproductive in

Therefore, it is necessary to draw up an

the fight against poverty, as it is the way

Environmental Policy for Tourism; and

N In poor rural areas, it often constitutes

through which expenditure by devel-

such a policy, in its role as a promoter of

the only alternative to subsistence

oped countries is carried out in less-ad-

best environmental practices, must pro-

farming.

vantaged countries:

vide for handbooks and guides that can

N In some regions of Peru, several com-

serve as tools to help tourism operators

munity-based tourism initiatives are

N Tourism in areas where communities

incorporate environmentally responsible

beginning to be developed with a

exist ensures that such communities

business policies in their operations. In

view to incorporating them into more

become guardians of their own habi-

Peru we have initiated these actions be-

consolidated tourism circuits, thus be-

tat; in our case, the indigenous com-

cause we consider that the long-term

coming an opportunity to improve

munities are the primary protectors of

growth of the economy and of tourism

the quality of life and welfare of

the Amazon rainforest, a tourism re-

can go hand-in-hand with proper envi-

Peru’s most excluded peoples.

source par excellence.

ronmental sustainability.

N In this way, tourism contributes to

N Another factor to consider will be the

poverty reduction, an indispensable

change in tourism destinations owing

condition for the conservation of the

to the destruction of natural resources

Mercedes Araoz Fernández Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru

UNWTO: Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals

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solution to these problems requires an ur-

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World Tourism Day World Tourism Day (WTD) is commemorated on 27 September each year - coinciding with the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970 - and was designated as World Tourism Day by the UNWTO General Assembly.

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The main purpose of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. The timing of World Tourism Day is indeed particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of topical interest to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide from all walks of life and to tourists and the operational sector in particular.

WTD 2008 This year’s WTD is hosted by Peru under the theme “Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change”. Climate change is one of the greatest global challenges in general, and to sustainable development and the UN Millennium Development Goals in particular. Catalyzing grassroots action by the tourism sector to face this challenge is at the centre of this year’s World Tourism Day Theme, “Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change”. The theme matches the 7th UN Millennium Development Goal: Ensure

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environmental sustainability and the proclamation of 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth which will extend to 2009. A Think Tank on Climate Solutions is the main event during WTD 2008. Debates around “Tourism & Climate Change Solutions” and “Climate & Development Agenda” aim at: 1. Informing representative stakeholders of the state of the art global thinking on Tourism and Climate Change and its local applications. 2. Discuss in an open exchange and clarify the measures that can be im-

plemented in the short and long term to adapt, to mitigate, to use new technology and secure financing for the poorest countries: as well as to provide coordinated sectoral input into the evolving UN System response to climate change, coherent with the Millennium Development Goals. 3. List the ten most practical solutions that can be started in the immediate term. Previous WTD celebrations have taken place in Sri Lanka (2007) under the theme “Tourism Opens Doors for Women”, Portugal (2006) with “Tourism Enriches”, and Qatar (2005) “Travel and transport: from the imaginary of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st century”. For more visit: www.UNWTO.org/wtd/

A year long campaign The 2007 General Assembly underscored the importance of WTD to be conceived as a year long campaign to raise awareness on the positive role of tourism in sustainable socio-economic development.

The 2008 campaign focused on tourism sector’s constructive response to the challenge of climate change. N Advancing Tourism in the UN global response to the challenges of climate change and poverty alleviation. N Promoting the Davos Declaration Process for the Tourism Sector. N Encouraging tourism stakeholders to adapt, to mitigate and use new technology and secure financing for the poorest countries.

UNWTO: Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals

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TOURpact.Gc Corporate Social Responsibility for the Tourism Sector Participants will make four commitments on which they will be required to report annual progress:

The UN Global Compact is a framework for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. As the world's largest, global corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact is first and foremost concerned with

exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of business and markets. The special programme for the tourism sector builds on the aligned principles of the Global Compact and the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. TOURpact.gc is a voluntary mechanism open to Companies, Associations of Companies and other Tourism Stakeholders who are Affiliate Members of UNWTO and who register their participation. It is complimentary to other corporate and public private partnership initiatives.

TOURpact.gc will help to drive a responsible tourism business agenda. We will promote the sound framework of Global Compact engagement models and the UNWTO ST-EP and Davos Declaration Process.

World Tourism Day

2009

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The UN Global Compact and UNWTO are creating the first tourism Global Compact initiative - TOURpact.gc. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed this as a leadership initiative with potential for other sectors.

1. To embrace the Principles and Practices of the UN Global Compact and of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics. 2. To promote their adherence with customers, staff, business partners and the wider public. 3. To use the logo and the collateral in their corporate social responsibility and product promotional campaigns where appropriate. 4. To report annually on their plans and achievements.

Towards Climate Neutral Tourism! www.ClimateSolutions.travel launched coinciding with World Tourism Day 2008, is a web site with the mission to be the central gateway for information on solutions available to help the tourism sector respond to climate change. Users can learn about Climate Solutions that are available and to share their own, and to access resources such as RSS feeds, useful links and a Climate Solutions wiki. The tourism sector, public and private, is embarked on a proactive response to climate change and UNWTO’s 2007 Davos Declaration Process lays out the guiding framework for a climate neutral strategy.

The ClimateSolutions.travel initiative is developed within the framework of UNWTO’s eTourism for Development Programme of Work and the new Affiliate Public Private Partnership strategy.

The 2009 theme “Tourism celebrating Diversity” will celebrate tourism diversity and implement a campaign to highlight the importance of tourism and globalization. This will mark the 30th celebration of World Tourism Day, which will be hosted in Ghana. This campaign will highlight tourism’s role dual as a catalyst for globalization on the one hand, and as an opportunity to reaffirm and preserve the identity at the destination level, on the other.

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Encouraging Tourism Innovation for Climate Neutrality UNWTO issued its 2008 Report on “Climate Change and Tourism, Responding to Global Challenges” developed in cooperation with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

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“The evidence is clear that the time is now for the tourism community to advance its strategy to address what must be considered the greatest challenge to the sustainability of tourism in the 21st century”, says the report. “Climate Change and Tourism, Responding to Global Challenges” provides the basis for the sector to address the global phenomenon of climate change. It suggests ways to develop practical tools for tourism policy-makers and

managers to foster the sustainable growth of the industry: N The report analyzes the relations between tourism and climate change, the impact of climate change at destinations, the adaptation options and strategies as well as the implications for tourism demand patterns. N The report contains the first detailed assessment ever made of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from tourism related activities, together with an analysis of mitigation policies and measures. “Our report confirms the fact that tourism contributes some 5% of greenhouse gas – in line with its global economic impact and way below its development contribu-

tion in poor countries. It identifies institutional change directions for transport, accommodation and all tourism service providers, as well as the users – business and leisure. Last year’s Davos Declaration Process provided the broad directions for all the tourism stakeholders. Now it’s all about implementation. We will increase our collaboration within the UN family and our efforts to bring the public and private sector’s full capacity to bear on this issue. Innovation is the big opportunity”, said UNWTO Assistant Secretary-General Geoffrey Lipman. For a summary and the full version of “Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges”, go to:

www.UNWTO.org/sdt/

“Our Climate Solutions” Online Global Photo Competition UNWTO’s 2008 Photo Competition highlights the World Tourism Day theme: “Tourism Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change”

The competition will showcase climate solutions in tourism – business and leisure travel – from around the world: I

Focus: Communities, companies and individuals –visiting or visited - acting to help respond to climate change as tourism stakeholders.

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Examples: Airlines testing new fuel, hotels installing solar energy, villages educating guests on good practice or tourists offsetting their impacts.

Prizes & winners: I Prizes will include a trip to Machupicchu in Peru – the Host Nation for World Tourism Day and cameras for runners up. I Winners will be notified before 30 December 2008. I Winning photos will be displayed on UNWTO’s website and at major Trade Fairs in 2009. Information, rules & guidelines, registration & submission of photographs: www.UNWTO.org/wtd/ Deadline is 30 November 2008

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UNWTO: Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals

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The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

The Code is a comprehensive set of principles whose purpose is to guide stakeholders in tourism development: central and local governments, local communities, the tourism industry and its professionals, as well as visitors, both international and domestic. The Code includes ten articles outlining the "rules of the game", but also involves the redress of grievances. For the first time a code of this type has a mechanism for enforcement providing a voluntary implementation mechanism through the World Committee on Tourism Ethics.

The official recognition by the UN General Assembly to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism came on 21 December 2001. “With international tourism forecast to reach 1.6 billion arrivals by 2020, members of the World Tourism Organization believe that the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is needed to help minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for residents of tourism destinations. The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is intended to be a living document. Read it. Circulate it widely. Participate in its implementation. Only with your cooperation can we safeguard the future of the tourism industry and expand the sector's contribution to economic prosperity, peace and understanding among all the nations of the world." Francesco Frangialli, UNWTO Secretary-General For more visit: www.UNWTO.org/ethics/

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The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. It adds new thinking that reflects our changing society at the beginning of the 21st century.

The Code 1. Tourism's contribution to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies 2. Tourism as a vehicle for individual and collective fulfilment 3. Tourism, a factor of sustainable development 4. Tourism, a user of the cultural heritage of mankind and contributor to its enhancement 5. Tourism, a beneficial activity for host countries and communities 6. Obligations of stakeholders in tourism development 7. Right to tourism 8. Liberty of tourist movements 9. Rights of the workers and entrepreneurs in the tourism industry 10. Implementation of the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

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Ministers’ Summit 11 November 2008, Excel grounds, Conference Set, Platinum Suite, 4, level 3 What? N 2008 Minister’s Summit organized by UNWTO in partnership with the World Travel Market, a forum for the most pressing issues for tourism with its leading policy-makers. N The Summit follows on from past landmark meetings on climate change, including now the short term economic dimension.

®

ExCeL London 10-13 Nov 2008 The Global Event for the Travel Industry

Objective To take stock of the impact of the dramatic recent economic shifts, consider industry responses and at the same time ensure that this doesn't adversely impact the commitments on poverty and climate change.

Capitán Haya, 42 28020 Madrid, Spain Tel.: +34-91-567-8100, Fax: +34-91-571-3733 [email protected] www.UNWTO.org

Where and when? World Travel Market 2008, London, UK, 11 November

For more visit: www.UNWTO.org and www.wtmlondon.com/

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“Responding to the Economic Downturn & Staying on Course with the Climate & Poverty Reduction Agenda” UNWTO will once again work in partnership with World Travel Market (WTM) to host a one day Minister’s Summit at this year’s event in London on Tuesday 11 November. The theme will be “Responding to the Economic Downturn and Staying on Course with the Climate and Poverty Reduction Agendas”. The short term economic outlook has turned downward. Tourism however remains an undisputed economic growth engine for rich and poor nations alike, a force for social and cultural cohesion, and a vehicle for environmental stewardship – particularly in emerging and least developed markets. Consequently, global efforts to address poverty and climate imperatives within a 30-year framework of change must continue to progress. Communities in developing countries, where the capacity to adapt is weakest, will be the first victims of global warming and these populations will be doubly affected if we also deprive them of the economic contribution from tourism. Many long-haul trips are often to

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countries that are home to the planet’s poorest populations, which in turn stand to benefit the most from international tourism. Climate change response, therefore, must avoid punishing travel. With some 900 million international flight arrivals last year and 1.6 billion forecast in 2020 the challenge is to consolidate and focus on the benefits of air travel, while continuously reducing its carbon footprint. The tourism sector must act now if it is to develop a truly sustainable future, reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions intelligently and expe-

UNWTO: Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals

ditiously reacting to the impacts on its own operations. Present and future action requires differentiated approaches, acknowledging that developing countries tend to bear a disproportionate share of the burden of climate change. Sustainable development is the best form of adaptation. The 2008 WTM Ministers’ Summit will build on from the past landmarks on climate change, encapsulated in the 2007 Davos Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism, but now including the short term economic dimension.