|
Imagine you plan well in advance for your much-awaited holiday in that exotic, little-visited but much read and heard about place. The destination chosen, though not well-known is quite popular and you are looking forward to unwind after 24/7 city life. Seeking out a sojourn of sorts on the D-day you make the journey to the ‘promised land’ chewing in every bit of scenery on the way. Finally on reaching the place the smile on your face changes to a chuckle as you are greeted by a small make-shift store selling mineral water, ‘bubbly’ drinks and other items often demanded by tourists. Further the litter of used bottles, tetrapacks etc force you to curse the ‘baddy’ tourists who have polluted the place. So what is to be done? Is it not possible to foster tourism development that can improve the well-being and not just standard of living of people? How to promote responsible travel minimising negative effects of tourism on the environment and the place? Lets give it a thought this World Tourism Day.
Tourism as an Industry
Tourism plays an important role in most developing as well as developed countries as the main-and sometimes the only- means of economic and social development on a sustainable basis, with meaningful linkages to other productive sectors, such as agriculture and handicrafts. Travel and tourism accounts for 11 per cent the world’s GDP, 8 per cent world’s employment. Indian tourism has been declared the fastest growing, at about 8 per cent, by leading tourism organisations including World Tourism Organisation and World Tourism and Travel Council. In recent surveys and opinion polls by prominent forums like Conde Nast Travellers’ Forum and Lonely Planet, India has been placed 5th among world’s tourist hot spots. In the years to come it won’t be surprising if India with its vast and beautiful coastline, virgin forests and undisturbed idyllic islands, becomes the most favoured tourist destination in the world. Tourism is the 3rd highest foreign exchange earner for the country. More than Rs. 21,000 crore came through tourist arrivals in 2004. It employs more than 6 per cent of total workforce.
Tourism has an enormous potential to generate economic, environmental and social benefits. The swift and continued growth, of the tourism activity, whether for leisure, business, culture, religious or health purposes, has both positive and negative effects on the environment. Sustainable tourism is by no means incompatible with environment conservation, protection of social and cultural identities of the local people.
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
With international tourism forecast to nearly triple in volume over the next 20 years, World Tourism Organisation, the leading international tourism body adopted the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism to minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for local people. The code is a comprehensive set of principles whose purpose is to guide stakeholders in tourism development viz., the government, local communities, the tourism industry as well as tourists. It sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. The Code has ten articles outlining the “rules of the game” for the stakeholders.
Understanding and promotion of the ethical values common to humanity, with an attitude of tolerance and respect for the diversity are both the foundation and the consequence of responsible tourism.
When travelling, tourists should abstain from any conduct felt to be offensive or injurious by the local populations, or likely to damage the local environment and they should observe the social and cultural traditions and practices of all people.
Practices conducive to saving rare and precious resources, in particular water and energy should be followed and as far as possible waste production should be avoided.
Tourism infrastructure should be designed and tourism activities programmed in such a way as to protect the natural heritage composed of ecosystems and biodiversity and to preserve endangered species of wildlife.
Nature tourism and ecotourism should be encouraged since it is conducive to enriching and enhancing the standing of tourism by promoting conservation of biological and cultural diversity. World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated worldwide every 27th September. It is an international day meant to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. Since 1980 World Tourism Organization, a United Nations specialised agency based in Madrid, Spain organises the events for the Day worldwide. 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.
Tourism, the activity most frequently associated with rest and relaxation, sport and access to culture and nature, should be planned and practised as a privileged means of individual and collective fulfillment. When practised with a sufficiently open mind, it is an irreplaceable factor of self-education, rejuvenating body and mind
*Information Officer, PIB, Bangalore
|
