The Seychelles Island nation sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean and know to be totally dependent on tourism, the industry that remains the pillar of their economy, joined the Community of Nations is celebrating World Tourism Day. The message circulated by the UN was noted as Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, addressed the country’s annual Seychelles Ball to launch the week-long tourism week celebrations.
The Seychelles Ball is the event staged by the Seychelles Tourism Board to consolidate the industry’s public/private sector partnership by bringing about dialogue in a casual setting. On their part, the UN said that in harnessing the benefits of global tourism, the international community will take โcriticalโ steps forward in advancing the United Nationsโ sustainable development goals and post-2015 development agenda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
In a message delivered to mark the annual observance of World Tourism Day, the Secretary-General emphasized the benefits of tourism for local communities, adding that as an industry it โhelps people to develop a variety of skillsโ and builds โstronger and more resilient communities.โ
โAs a service sector with cross-cutting impact on agriculture, construction, or handicrafts, tourism creates millions of jobs and business opportunities,โ Mr. Ban noted.
โIts capacity to lift people from poverty, promote gender empowerment, and help protect the environment has made it a vital tool for achieving positive change in communities across the world.โ
Celebrated annually on September 27, World Tourism Day serves to raise awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and the contributions it can make in the economic, political, and social sectors.
This yearโs theme, Tourism and Community Development, will focus on โthe ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities,โ according to the UNโs World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, also highlighted the important role played by tourism in developing communities, particularly when engaging local populations by contributing to social values such as participation, education, and enhanced local governance.
โThere can be no real tourism development if such development damages in any way the values and the culture of host communities or if the socio-economic benefits generated by the tourism sector do not trickle down to the community level,โ affirmed Mr. Rifai in his message on the day.
โThis yearโs World Tourism Day represents an opportunity to further advance tourismโs contribution to economic, social, and environmental sustainability,โ he continued.
โEmpowering individuals and communities around the world at all levels through tourism can be a fundamental step towards these goals.โ