BTB
The High Level Intergovernmental Meeting on Sustainable Tourism Development was hosted by the Government of Indonesia and organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) at Bali during 7-9 December. AN exhibition of tourism products was also organized involving government, business and civil society.
The meeting focused attention on the strength of the tourism sector and its contribution to economic and social development. Job creation opportunities and crisis management were among the issues deliberated resulting in agreement on new initiatives to be taken by regional countries and the United Nations over the coming years.
Short and long term response measures to ensure better preparedness for disaster and recovery in the tourism sector were also discussed.
A new region wide study will be undertaken on the present and future role of tourism to help countries plan safer and more robust tourism development in the light of recent incidents that had negatively affected the industry.
Other issues considered by the meeting included enhancing tourism’s role in providing jobs to the poor and poverty reduction, facilitating transport development and other tourism- related infrastructure, managing the socio- cultural and environmental impact of tourism, managing crisis and risk in tourism and human resource development in the tourism sector.
Tourism related jobs now account for nearly 10 per cent of world employment and work for 120 million people in the UNESCAP region. Tourism revenue in Asia is the fastest growing in the world reaching US$ 124 billion in 2004. Indonesian tourist arrivals in 2004 were 5.3 million, with revenues estimated to be US$ 4.7 billion, stated Executive Secretary of UNESCAP Kim Hak-Su.
