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30th
Jubilee Editions |
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News
from the World Tourism Organization WORLD
TOURISM ORGANIZATION CALLS FOR INCREASED AIR
SERVICE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MONTREAL
(CANADA) - MADRID:Addressing civil
aviation leaders
at the ICAO Assembly in Montreal end of last week,
the World Tourism
Organization (WTO) called on them to be proactive
in addressing two vital
challenges for the international community -
harnessing aviation in the
fight against poverty and simplifying passenger
processing while stepping
up security. To
help the world's poorest countries develop their
economies WTO called for
new measures to increase air service from the
tourist generating markets
of developed states. It reiterated its 2003
proposal for the international
community to provide financial support for service
to high potential
tourism markets in the least developed countries
(LDCs). WTO is currently
undertaking a study with ICAO of Essential Tourism
Development Routes
(ETDR) to analyse how industrialized states have
subsidised thin developmental
routes in their domestic markets and to recommend
ways to apply
similar approaches for international route
development. WTO believes that
in a globalizing, liberalizing marketplace, poor
country routes are de facto
socio-politically equivalent to market failure thin
"domestic" routes. Such
poor country routes should be given parallel
treatment in terms of regulation
and financial support as is given in big domestic
markets like the
US and the EU. Geoffrey
Lipman Special Advisor to the Secretary General of
WTO said, "There
is no better vehicle for boosting the economies of
poor countries than
well managed tourism. In the majority of LDCs
tourism is already one of
the top export and job creators - it's the only
service sector where all LDCs
are producers with comparative advantage based on
natural resource, tradition
and cultural diversity. And it's not a zero sum
game - it provides
benefits for the industry, consumers and foreign
aid strategies of rich
origin countries." WTO
also stressed the need for further, coordinated
action by the international
community to intensify worldwide, security measures
in the fight
against terrorism. It believes that Tourism
authorities can play an important
role. It is organizing think-tanks, seminars and
technical missions
to consistently amplify existing efforts. WTO
emphasises the importance
of shoring up standards and systems in developing
countries and is
undertaking capacity building with tourism
authorities in these states. At
the same time there is a parallel need to take
action to: to integrate facilitation
with security; to reduce irritation for travellers,
to control security
costs. and to provide assistance in relieving the
cost burden of security
for developing countries. The challenge is to use
technology, standards
and human skills along with system streamlining and
targeted finance.
And to do it in a way which takes full account of
increasing numbers
of travellers, shifting markets and a goal of
moving people more speedily
and with more dignity through international
borders. Again the biggest
need for support will be in the area of greatest
system weakness - the
world's poorest countries WTO
has established its SAFE programme to bring these
issues together for tourism
authorities, communities, the private sector and
the traveller. We will
work in closest collaboration with ICAO and other
competent organizations
to contribute to the global system enhancement of
security and
facilitation. -end
- For
further information contact: Rok
Klancnik, WTO Press and Communications
Department comm@world-tourism.org,
Tel. (+34) 91-567-8191 www.world-tourism.org
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