Chinese leader harps on higher financing for tourism development
The role of
tourism in fighting poverty and building peace was the key focus of the
first World Conference on Tourism for Development held recently.
Delivering the
keynote address to declare the conference open, Premier Li Keqiang of
China underlined the role of tourism in lifting people out of poverty
and the importance of stepping up international cooperation in tourism.
The event,
organized by UNWTO and the government of the People’s Republic of
China, gathered about 1,000 participants from over 100 countries in
Beijing, China.
Premier Li
Keqiang, who emphasized tourism’s capacity to stimulate economic growth,
create jobs and foster inclusive development, said: “The global economy
is lacking in growing momentum and needs a new driving force. As one of
the fastest-growing and most resilient industrial sectors, tourism
plays an important role in boosting world economic recovery.”
At the same
occasion, perhaps as a way of stating its readiness to put its money
where her mouth is, China announced the launch of an international
tourism cooperation plan that is expected to further accelerate
tourism development across the world.
Also addressing
the conference, President of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyussi, stated
that inclusion through tourism requires adequate investment in
education as well as capacity building. In the same manner, the link
between development and peace was underlined by UNWTO
Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, who said: “There can be no development
without peace and no peace without development.”
In a message, the
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said: “When tourism is well-managed,
it has tremendous capacity to create decent jobs, provide
opportunities for inclusion and education, and contribute to preserving
cultural heritage and the environment.” The message was delivered on
his behalf by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social
Affairs, Wu Hongbo.
The conference
included three main panel sessions dedicated to the contribution of
tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to poverty
alleviation and to peace.
During the summit
session, moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest, participants called for an
integrated approach to tourism development that can contribute
effectively to the SDGs. Issues discussed included effective resource
management, the role of the private sector and the need for the SDGs to
be understood by all - citizens, policy makers, and the business
community.
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