Commonwealth Tourism Ministers pledge to use tourism to fight poverty
 

by Anjana Gamage

Commonwealth Tourism Ministers pledged to use tourism to fight against poverty and boost the economic development within the commonwealth countries.

The pledge was made at the commonwealth tourism ministers meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria on April 29. The Minister of Industries, Investment Promotion and Tourism in Sri Lanka, Anura Bandaranaike attended the meeting along with the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Dr. P. Ramanujam.

The Commonwealth Tourism Ministerial meeting was opened by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who underscored the importance of strong action to boost tourism in the world's poorest countries.

He said that there was an emerging international understanding of the importance of this sector as a means to reduce poverty through rural tourism and eco-tourism.

Another important issue came out was the Ministers recognition to the damage caused by natural calamities such as tsunamis, hurricanes or cyclones to the tourism industry.

The Commonwealth Tourism Ministers took this opportunity to convey their sympathies to the Governments and people of member countries affected by tsunami on December 26, 2004.

The Ministers including Anura Bandaranaike, emphasised the importance of collective action to assist in the development of early warning system and in building capacity in disaster preparedness, relief and recovery for all countries.

Meanwhile several proposals were submitted at the meeting with the aim of attaining the millennium development goals (MDGs) in tourism industry as well. They are : To place tourism on national and international agenda as a catalyst for poverty reduction, particularly at the community level. To ensure that tourism development is appropriately sensitive to the needs of women and other vulnerable groups in society. To support the creation of a Commonwealth Tourism Centre in Malaysia to boost information flows, build capacity and enhance promotion initiatives.

To seek to ensure that security upgrades for tourism are accompanied by parallel action in travel facilitation including improved passenger handling at all entry points. To intensify their initiatives for fair travel advisories which ensure that information is accurate, geographically focused and frequently reviewed by governments at both ends of the markets. To place capacity building at the top of their priorities for development funding with a strong focus on triple bottom line sustainability, performance and quality service.

To support investment activities commencing with a seminar in London, in November 2005 at the time of the World Travel Mart (WTM). To strengthen relationships with the UN World Tourism Organisation and other tourism related bodies linking and partnering projects where feasible.

Commonwealth Tourism Ministers will next meet in conjunction with the next session of the UN World Tourism Organisation General Assembly, which is scheduled to take place in 2007.