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    • Opinion
    • News
    • Contributor: Taleb Rifai

    Tourism: A sector with global responsibility

    Tourism can be a true agent for development, but not yet a priority for foreign aid. In an exclusive opinion for Devex, World Tourism Organization secretary-general Taleb Rifai calls for more investment in the sector to capture its full potential in developing countries as the U.N. agency celebrates this week its general assembly in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

    By Taleb Rifai // 26 August 2013
    Tourists wait for the sunset at Phnom Bakheng in Angkor, Cambodia. Inspite of the role of tourism in socioeconomic development, many challenges still remain, such as ensuring that the world's poorest countries continue to benefit from the industry. Photo by: Jerry Dohnal / CC BY-NC-ND

    Tourism has evolved over the past decades into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world and a transformative force in global development.

    More than one billion people travelled the world in 2012. Tourism represents today up to 9 percent of global GDP in direct, indirect and induced impacts), 30 percent of service exports and employs 1 in 11 people around the world.

    Tourism’s growth is truly extraordinary considering that merely 60 years ago, international tourists numbered 25 million. This positive trajectory is expected to continue — the U.N. World Tourism Organization’s long-term forecasts indicate that by 2030 international tourist numbers will reach 1.8 billion, with emerging countries foreseen to welcome more than half of the world´s international tourists.

    But this global impact also calls for great social responsibility. Tourism is capable of addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges, and what’s more, it can be a true agent for development.

    Tourism’s important role in the global development agenda is steadily becoming recognized among the world’s leaders. The United Nations has identified tourism as one of the ten sectors to drive the transformation towards a green economy, and in 2012 at Rio+20 tourism was included for the first time in the outcome document of a U.N. sustainable development conference as a sector that can make “a significant contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable development, has close linkages to other sectors, and can create decent jobs and trade opportunities.”

    For many developing countries, international tourism is a major source of foreign exchange and investment, creating much-needed employment and business opportunities. Tourism is one of the top three exports in a majority of these countries, and the lead export for at least 11 Least Developed Countries. International tourism receipts represent as much as 6 percent of all exports and 56 percent of service exports of the 49 LDCs. In fact, tourism was a main factor that helped Botswana, the Maldives and Cape Verde graduate from their LDC status.

    In spite of tourism’s evident role in socioeconomic development, many challenges remain, none the least ensuring that the world’s poorest countries — over half of which have tourism as a priority instrument for poverty reduction — continue to benefit from the income and social opportunities provided by the tourism sector  while tackling the environmental challenge.

    A recent joint study by the OECD, WTO and UNWTO shows that there is still a significant disparity between the sector’s high potential for development and the low priority it has been given so far in terms of development aid. The contrast is striking — tourism is only allocated 0.13 percent of total ODA and 0.5 percent of total Aid for Trade.

    It is thus critical for tourism to be placed higher in the development agenda and for the level of development assistance to match the immense potential that the sector has to contribute to development objectives.

    Join the Devex communityand gain access to more in-depth analysis, breaking news and business advice — and a host of other services — on international development, humanitarian aid and global health.

    • Institutional Development
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the author

    • Taleb Rifai

      Taleb Rifai

      Taleb Rifai is the secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, after having served as Deputy Secretary-General since 2006. Prior to his work at UNWTO, Rifai was the assistant director-general of the International Labor Organization and served in several ministerial portfolios in the government of Jordan, including Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

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