THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: World Tourism Day is observed on Monday with focus on the continued loss of biodiversity and the need for exploring synergies between tourism, biodiversity and sustainable development.
The theme ‘tourism and biodiversity' is particularly pertinent as 2010 has been declared as International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations, concerned as it has been by the alarming situation on the biodiversity front.
With mangroves and ecosystems across the State increasingly targeted for developing tourism, the focal theme should help provide an opportunity for all concerned to raise public awareness about the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in conservation.
Tourism planners say more effort is needed to sustain biodiversity even while admitting that the State may have overtaken others in taking the initiative to implement Responsible Tourism practices. “Socially and economically beneficial tourism projects are there to list out but sadly none on the environment front despite the much publicised Responsible Tourism initiative,” says C. Jayakumar of Thanal.
Key asset
Biodiversity is a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth.
As tourism has emerged as a leading economic activity in generating employment, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological natural resources.
Sustainable tourism can generate significant revenue for conservation and community development and also help raise awareness on biodiversity issues.
“Tourism has not been able to coexist along with biodiversity if one were to put the projects in forests, coasts and midlands under the scanner,” Mr. Jayakumar said.
“Tourism and biodiversity are mutually dependent,” says United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his message on World Tourism Day.
The UNWTO has called upon “stakeholders and travellers to contribute their part of the global responsibility to safeguard the intricate web of unique species and ecosystems that make up the planet.”
Source: The Hindu,27-9-2010
The theme ‘tourism and biodiversity' is particularly pertinent as 2010 has been declared as International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations, concerned as it has been by the alarming situation on the biodiversity front.
With mangroves and ecosystems across the State increasingly targeted for developing tourism, the focal theme should help provide an opportunity for all concerned to raise public awareness about the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in conservation.
Tourism planners say more effort is needed to sustain biodiversity even while admitting that the State may have overtaken others in taking the initiative to implement Responsible Tourism practices. “Socially and economically beneficial tourism projects are there to list out but sadly none on the environment front despite the much publicised Responsible Tourism initiative,” says C. Jayakumar of Thanal.
Key asset
Biodiversity is a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth.
As tourism has emerged as a leading economic activity in generating employment, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological natural resources.
Sustainable tourism can generate significant revenue for conservation and community development and also help raise awareness on biodiversity issues.
“Tourism has not been able to coexist along with biodiversity if one were to put the projects in forests, coasts and midlands under the scanner,” Mr. Jayakumar said.
“Tourism and biodiversity are mutually dependent,” says United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his message on World Tourism Day.
The UNWTO has called upon “stakeholders and travellers to contribute their part of the global responsibility to safeguard the intricate web of unique species and ecosystems that make up the planet.”
Source: The Hindu,27-9-2010
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