Following the economic downturn across the globe, the Secretary-General of United Nations Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, has said tourism offers the global community hope.
Pololikashvili stated this at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, during the High-Level Thematic Event on Tourism, one of the activities lined up for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Sustainability Week.
He noted that the world is facing a perfect storm of multiple crises, a storm that tests the resilience of nations and the global community.
Pololikashvili also noted that lives were lost, economies crushed, and livelihoods at risk, with increasing inequalities, food insecurity and natural disasters.
Pololikashvil further said tourism is not immune from the political and economic uncertainties of contemporary times as the tourism sector is especially vulnerable to external shocks.
“Firstly, economic challenges. We are monitoring: Inflation, interest rates, oil price, trade levels and patterns. And, of course, we meet at a time of great insecurity.
“No more than two days ago, the UN Secretary General called an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
“The impacts of conflict are being felt far outside of war zones. Yet, even in the darkness, we need to find glimmers of hope. Tourism gives us that hope.” Herecalled that in 2023, against all odds, the world saw the remarkable recovery of the tourism sector.He added that the recovery must be as a catalyst for bold action and transformative change.
Pololikashvili expressed regret that halfway to 2030, the world is still nowhere near achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
“As the Secretary General has made clear, this is the year we must recommit to our mission.
“The Zero Draft of the Pact for the Future is a chance to get back on track. It is a starting point towards the adoption of an ambitious Pact before the Summit for the Future in September.
“Tourism can, and must, be a part of this plan for a better future for all. I am pleased to tell this General Assembly that our sector is living up to its responsibility. Tourism is now a central part of our lives, and of the journey towards 2030. More than this: UN Tourism has put our sector on the international agenda,” Pololikashvili added.
The UN Tourism Secretary-General also said the sector has bounced back from the biggest crisis in its history.
He disclosed that last year, international arrivals recovered almost 90 percent of pre pandemic levels.
“We now expect full recovery by the end of this year. Income generated by the sector as an export reached $1.6 trillion last year. That is almost 95 percent of the $1.7 trillion recorded in 2019.
“Direct tourism GDP is estimated to be back to 2019 levels. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies and communities everywhere. This is especially true for small island states and developing countries.
“In SIDS, tourism accounts for over 20 percent of GDP. Tourism also accounts for over 30 percent of total exports in the majority of SIDS, reaching as much as 80 percent in some.”
Pololikashvili added that no sector comes close to matching tourism’s ability to empower individuals.
He stated that micro, small, and medium sized enterprises make up more than 90 percent of the sector.
“And tourism keeps growing as a pillar of opportunity for young people and for women.
“The growing significance of the sector for our societies and our economies brings with it extra responsibility.
“We cannot allow the lifeline of tourism to be cut again. Resilience in tourism is not just a matter of planning or reacting to crises. It is also about proactively addressing the underlying factors of those crises,” he stated.
Pololikashvili, however, said that more than any other sector, tourism knows the cost of inaction.
He stated that last year was the hottest on record as destinations were already suffering the effects of extreme weather and climate related events such as hurricanes, tornados, beach erosion and coral reef bleaching.
In his remarks, the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, noted that tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors of the global economy.
“The numbers speak for themselves. In 2023, tourism accounted for 3 percent of global GDP — with an estimated direct gross domestic product of $3.3 trillion.
“The sector employs one in every 10 people around the world.
“And with women holding 54 percent of those jobs — versus 39 per cent in the broader economy! — tourism provides an important vehicle for women’s empowerment,” Francis said.
Francis also said the capacity of the tourism sector to attract significant volumes of foreign direct investment and rapidly increase exports has made it an attractive and popular catalyst for development.
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