| Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and
an important source of foreign exchange and employment for many
developing countries. In reviewing the first five years’
implementation of Agenda 21 in 1997 at its
nineteenth
Special Session, the General Assembly
indicated the need to give further consideration to the
importance of tourism in the context of Agenda 21. In 2002, the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg
addressed sustainable tourism in Chapter IV, paragraph
43
of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Tourism that
focuses on natural environments is a large and growing part of
the tourism industry. While it can contribute in a positive
manner to socio-economic development and environmental
protection, uncontrolled tourism growth can also cause
environmental degradation, destruction of fragile ecosystems,
and social and cultural conflict, undermining the basis of
tourism.
The General Assembly in 1998 proclaimed 2002 as the
International Year of Ecotourism (A/RES/53/200),
reaffirming Economic and Social Council resolution
1998/40, of 30 July 1998. For further information on activities
related to Ecotourism, please consult the web-site of the
World
Tourism Organization.
As announced at the Johannesburg Summit, the World Tourism
Organization, in collaboration with UNCTAD, launched the
Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) initiative to
develop sustainable tourism as a force for poverty alleviation.
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) last reviewed
the issue of sustainable tourism in 2001, when it was acting as
the Preparatory Committee for the Johannesburg Summit. In its
current work programme, the CSD will next take up the issue of
sustainable development in its fifth cycle, in 2012 and 2013. |
