Expert Meeting on Tourism’s Contribution to Sustainable Development

This expert meeting is aimed at sharing knowledge and identifying key issues and policy options related to sustainable tourism and its contribution to economic growth and sustainable development.

Tourism has the potential to contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction, in particular in low-income developing countries. The capacity of the sector to generate employment and income due to its backward and forward linkages makes it important for economic diversification and growth.

At the same time, however, the negative impact it can inflict on the environment and cultures cannot be overlooked. To ensure that tourism provides employment and income opportunities in the long run and contributes to sustainable development, its operations, including the activities that are linked with it, must also be sustainable. This calls for ambitious strategies and policy agendas.

The expert meeting will explore how the potential of tourism can be enhanced while at the same time addressing risks and concerns. It will provide an opportunity to:

1. Address the key issues regarding the contribution of tourism to economic growth and sustainable development.
   
   The key questions are:

   • What are the specific features of tourism that make it pertinent for domestic capacity-building and economic development and particularly relevant for poverty reduction?

   • What are the negative aspects of tourism that require policymakers to pay extra attention in formulating policies and strategies for tourism development?

   • How can governments attract adequate levels of investment to build supply capacities, develop effective linkages between tourism and various other sectors, and at the same time address economic leakage and anticompetitive practices in the tourism industry?

   • Given that tourism-related activities rely on the development of infrastructure, the preservation of the environment and cultural heritage sites, and the supply of energy and water, for example, how can tourism as an economic activity be made sustainable?

   • What are the policies and strategies that governments need to pursue to promote sustainable tourism and to ensure that tourism contributes to sustainable development?

2. Identify areas for further inter-agency collaboration and knowledge sharing in sustainable development.