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Tourism has both provided pleasure and helped to reduce poverty, according to officials and entrepreneurs at a summit forum of the First World Conference on Tourism for Development in Beijing on Thursday.
Arief Yahya, Indonesia's minister of tourism, said: "Tourism consists of at least three aspects - the cultural, the economic and environmental aspects." He said that in the past, Indonesia focused only on the cultural aspect of tourism, whereas now tourism is projected to be the country's main source of foreign income by 2020.
The officials and entrepreneurs at the forum called for cooperation between different agencies and sectors, including governments, the private sector and academia, to develop tourism with the aim of reducing poverty.
"The government provides opportunities; the companies create wealth; and the local people enjoy the wealth," said Chen Min'er, Party chief of Guizhou province in Southwest China.
He said attention should be focused on developing the rural tourism industry, as poverty is most widespread in the countryside. "Using the natural resources and unique ethnic elements (of the countryside), tourism can be integrated with agriculture, culture and even the e-commerce model, to help lift local residents out of poverty," he said.
Katevan Bochorishvili, Georgia's vice-minister of economy and sustainable development, said tourism had been the fastest-growing industry in Georgia over recent years, with the number of international tourists and the sector's contribution to the national economy both sharply rising.
Most importantly, she said the business has created jobs "in a very creative way".
In addition, tourism allows people to experience cultures that are different from their own, said Jose Santos, minister of tourism in Argentina.
He added that tourism connects nations and peoples in a way that other sectors cannot.
To ensure locals benefit most from the industry, tourism-related companies should give preference to local residents during the hiring process, and then make sure they receive proper training, said Marcio Favilla, executive director for operational programs and institutional relations at the World Tourism Organization.
He called for financial support for small local companies, and suggested locals "supply services and goods directly to tourists".
Santos noted a successful example in northern Argentina, where, despite the area's natural wonders, such as the Iguazu Falls and numerous wetland areas, more than 2,000 residents lived in poverty. The Argentinian government subsequently introduced a plan in partnership with local communities and companies, which featured infrastructure investment in nature reserves, and allowed local people to develop their own projects.
zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn
