International confab calls for sustainable tourism
The International Conference on Tourism Statistics, conducted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), concluded in Pasay City on Friday with a call of action for measuring sustainable tourism.
Following six sessions in the past three days, some 700 foreign and local delegates from over 60 countries called for the development and implementation of a statistical framework that includes economic, environmental and social dimensions in global, national and subnational levels.
The UNWTO defines sustainable tourism as one “that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environment impacts; addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
Rapporteur Tadayuki Hara, tourism undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr., Philippine Statistics Authority chief Liza Grace Bersales, and UNWTO executive director for operational programs and institutional relations Marcio Favilla presided over the closing ceremony.
At the third session on Thursday, employment was tackled as key aspect of sustainable tourism. The main presenter, Igor Chernyshev spoke about employment in tourism as one of the crucial pillars in measuring sustainable tourism in his paper “Employment, Green Jobs and Sustainable Tourism.”
Chernyshev, a consultant of the International Labor Organization and UNWTO, said tourism development should be handled carefully as it works to improve a country’s economy and social well-being.
He said there was a critical need to “develop tourism products with a sustainable focus, helping to fit in with the local environment and ensure its preservation.”
If not handled well, tourists will migrate to competing destinations or attractions, he warned.
Another presenter, Roxana Arguedas of the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism said “tourism is a big area to measure; hence, the need for a good methodology.”
Referring to her country experience, she proposed a social progress index (SPI) methodology as “a tool for measuring and understanding the well-being of the residents of tourist destinations to improve the way the public-private agendas are set in order to support social progress and inclusive and sustainable economic growth.”
