UNWTO: Sustainable tourism needs support
30 April 2008The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has given its backing to the concept of sustainable tourism and said that this sector needs more support.
Speaking at the Conference on Trade and Development in Accra, Ghana, representatives from the UNWTO stressed that tourism is the only sustainable development option open to many developing countries.
Underlining the importance of the tourism industry, UNWTO official Eugenio Yunis said: "On the whole, developing countries are the principal beneficiaries of international tourism trade, achieving a surplus in their tourism balance of payments which can fund imports of food and energy resources, development plans, or contribute to debt reduction."
Developing countries have led international growth in tourism since the turn of the century and now own a 40 per cent share of the market.
Between 2000 and 2007, tourism in the 50 least developed countries in the world increased by 110 per cent, compared to 20 per cent in developed nations.
Last year saw close to 900 million international tourist arrivals around the world, generating more than $730 billion (£368 billion) for recipient countries.
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