Officials and experts called for work to support tourism destinations in the least developed countries in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development and to provide more job and training opportunities to improve the economic conditions in those countries.
Officials and experts saw participants in "The Fifth Thematic Session of the Private Sector Forum… Sustainable Tourism" held on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries currently being held in Doha, the lack of qualified human cadres and the low level of infrastructure are among the most important challenges facing the tourism sector in many least developed countries, in addition to weak energy sources such as electricity and political instability in some times.
They stressed the great importance of the development potential provided by sustainable tourism to the least developed countries, and its important role in achieving economic growth and the development of local communities in these countries, as well as its contributions to preserving the environment and biological diversity and promoting dialogue between different cultures. They pointed out that many countries have left the list of least developed countries thanks to tourism and its impact on the development of local communities, as the vast majority of least developed countries depend on tourism to achieve economic growth.
For his part, Mr. Nico Visser, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Foundation concerned with tourism development, stressed the need to seek support for tourism destinations in order to achieve the sustainable development goals of the least developed countries, by financing the fields of education, environmental preservation, entrepreneurship and promoting intercultural dialogue to empower young people. Especially in these countries. He added, during his intervention in the session, that the World Tourism Organization launched the Tourism Fund for Development, as this fund will allocate $10 million to the least developed countries until 2030, in addition to targeting tourist destinations in a number of countries, indicating that sustainable tourism is the main catalyst for countries. The least developed countries, as proven by the countries that got out of the list of these countries thanks to tourism.
In turn, Mr. Mosaddeq Bali, Executive Director of the “Azalay” hotel chain, said: The stereotypical image of tourism risks in Africa is not much related to reality, as there are many projects that have been implemented in various fields, explaining that the most prominent challenges facing the tourism sector in Africa are represented in Lack of qualified human cadres, low level of infrastructure, weak energy sources such as electricity, as well as political instability at times. Bali pointed out, during his intervention in "The Fifth Thematic Session of the Private Sector Forum… Sustainable Tourism"He pointed out that although there are many challenges, one should be resilient and armed with optimism and ambition, because opportunities always outweigh the challenges, stressing the high returns on tourism investments in Africa, and the impact of this on increasing employment and training opportunities, and advancing sustainable development.
For her part, Ms. Zorista Yorozović, Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization, stressed the importance of tourism to the least developed countries, noting that more than 90 percent of these countries depend on tourism to achieve economic growth, stressing that many countries have left the list of least developed countries thanks to tourism. and its impact on the development of local communities in general. In an intervention at the fifth thematic session of the Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Tourism, which was held on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, Yorozović said that many of the least developed countries that were expected to be removed from the list of those countries by 2030 were subjected to major crises such as the pandemic. Corona (Covid-19), which affected the various tourism sectors, especially in these countries, pointing out that the least developed countries account for 2.3 percent of the total number of global travelers, and tourism also contributes a large percentage of the gross domestic product of these countries, which may reach more than From 80 percent sometimes in some of these countries.
The Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization stated that tourism is an industry focused on individuals, which confirms the need to invest in human resources and build their capabilities, create more job opportunities, and promote education, noting that 80 percent of tourism companies are small and medium-sized companies. And she called for strengthening the capabilities of those in charge of vocational education in the least developed countries, changing the economic structure in place, benefiting from the digital transformation in accessing markets from different regions of the world, and adopting the circular economy in providing job opportunities and preserving the environment. In turn, Professor Jeffrey Lippman, co-founder of the (THE SUNX) program concerned with supporting tourism and travel in the face of climate change, head of the program in the Republic of Malta, stressed the importance of youth participation in such events aimed at supporting the least developed countries, to identify their challenges and discuss ways to overcome them, especially Previous generations did not achieve much in this regard. And he indicated that young people today are the ones who will have to face these crises, and devise appropriate solutions to confront them, especially the climate change crisis as an existential issue that affects sustainable tourism.
In a related context, Ms. Tiffany Mesrahi, Senior Advisor at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, spoke about the need to improve efforts in the areas of sustainable tourism and its development, and to accelerate the implementation of projects that would achieve the goals of this conference, noting that there is an opportunity to establish an organization that leads efforts to preserve nature and confront The effects of climate change, and supporting local communities in the least developed countries in various tourism fields.
She pointed out that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and its growing negative impact on climate change, the erosion of green spaces, especially in the least developed countries, and other challenges, all affect tourism in its various fields and limit its future development. On the other hand, Mrs. Romeri Andrianarisoa, Chairman of the Committee on Sustainable Development and Business Ethics at the Madagascar Business Group (GEM), said that tourism represents about 12 percent of the gross domestic product in the Republic of Madagascar, pointing to work to strengthen the tourism industry in her country, as it is the most prominent sector that can Relying on it to create more job opportunities and develop the local community.
During her intervention in the session, Andrianarisoa called on the least developed countries to work on identifying their needs and developing appropriate plans and strategies for their implementation, in partnership and cooperation with various countries of the world, as well as striving to promote sustainable tourism, while preserving the environment and biological diversity.
In turn, Ms. Catherine Marsh, Deputy Director of the Private Sector Operations Department at the Asian Development Bank, stressed that climate change threatens the tourism sector as the most prominent challenge for the future of tourism as a whole, which confirms the need to provide greater support for financing natural resources, especially in the least developed countries, noting the importance of cooperation between The public and private sectors in identifying needs and requirements, and developing appropriate plans for implementation.
In her intervention at the fifth thematic session of the Private Sector Forum on Sustainable Tourism, Marsh noted the importance of developing tourism and searching for innovative ways that contribute to preserving the environment and biodiversity, stressing the need for effective coordination between sponsors and target countries, and unifying various efforts to enhance the developmental impact of these projects. Especially in light of the crises facing the world.
