Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-08-Speech-4-030"
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"en.20050908.5.4-030"2
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"Mr President, tourism is the largest global economic activity, both in terms of turnover and number of jobs. It is one of the most dynamic sectors in the world, true though it is that it is extremely volatile and very sensitive, particularly in the wake of attacks. Think of those of 11 September, which brought tourist development to a sudden halt. Developing countries were the first to suffer from this reversal.
Tourism, which encourages knowledge of other people and the exchange of experiences, offers a promising route for developing countries to go down. Finally, visitors to other countries are perhaps more aware than others of the urgent need there is to increase and channel international aid. The presence of that aid becomes apparent. Having seen evidence of it, people take an interest; and, having taken an interest, they give in a much more visible way.
The tourist economy characteristically cuts across an extremely wide range of areas. It naturally leads to the development of hotels, together with other forms of accommodation, such as self-catering cottages and family-run guest houses, that are outside the hotel system proper. It gives rise to restaurants, which may or may not be attached to hotels. It enables staff to be trained not only in the professions associated with the hotel and catering industry but also in languages. It makes for extremely wide-ranging economic activity, with all types of salespeople eager to respond to the demands of, for example, people who have forgotten their toothpaste or medicines or who want croissants to eat every morning in their hotel. Tourist development has bearing upon all areas of the food industry, not to mention, of course, all the souvenir shops there are.
What is more, tourism in itself generates a very heavy demand for substantial forms of infrastructure, most prominent among which are not only airports but also sea ports and main roads, as well as smaller roads serving tourist destinations and other places to visit. Moreover, tourism encourages specific demand affecting areas over which the state traditionally has jurisdiction, be it in matters of security or public health. I shall return to this point.
By the way in which it cuts across such a variety of areas, tourism therefore guarantees genuine economic development, but it does not stop there. Tourism also makes for land conservation and better protection of the environment, the fact of the matter being that, with the creation of world heritage sites, we now give serious thought to areas that are to be protected, without however being set piously apart, so enabling them to be exploited ‘intelligently’ for tourist purposes.
Tourism is also a factor in democracy and political stability because tourists with no intention of being bound by any all-inclusive
package see a country open up before them; because tourism is enriching and is educational in a way that, as everyone knows, undermines dictatorship; because tourism can establish ethical rules, particularly regarding child labour; and because the idea of fair tourism, which in fact constitutes a form of dissuasion, is beginning to make itself felt in our part of the world.
Finally, tourism is an essential factor in public health and education. Health risks constitute absolutely the wrong type of advertising. Remember the problem of Ebola virus in Congo and elsewhere. The same applies, however, to malaria and makes states much more sensitive to the need to eradicate these diseases. Tourism is extremely demanding in terms of decent hospital infrastructure which, of course, will also serve the local population. Finally, tourism is an educational factor because it makes people learn languages and in that way opens people’s minds.
Let us not deceive ourselves. Tourism can also be a factor causing disturbance and leading to abuse. I shall give just two examples. The first is sex tourism, which is clearly a means of development for certain countries that do not provide themselves with the resources for preventing it. The second is property speculation, in particular that whereby leading families buy up properties or that whereby, if one is not careful, sites are destroyed.
The fact that tourism is the world’s largest form of economic activity and that it can be an economic lever for developing countries cannot be a matter of indifference to the European Union. Tourism must therefore be better integrated into all forms of the aid we offer. That naturally applies to all our programmes, be they the EDF, MEDA, ASEAN or other programmes. The percentage of these funds directly appropriated to tourist development projects must be increased. We ourselves must strengthen our own structures. I am glad that Mr Michel is in the Chamber, because what I have just said applies not only to the Enterprise DG but also to the Development DG, both of which should have tourism departments with a bit more clout. We need help in strengthening the public-private partnership. Let us not delude ourselves. The public sector will not take care of tourist development in its entirety. Through the aid it supplies through ourselves and through the impetus it provides, in particular for the creation of major infrastructure, the public sector can, however, help tourism develop further.
Finally, tourism must give rise to ethical reflection within the European Union and, more generally, at global level. To prevent corruption and merciless speculation in all its forms, help should not be given to just anyone, anywhere. Thought needs to be given to ways of putting a stop to sex tourism and, in particular, to the forms of legal action available to us in our own countries. Particularly when it comes to child labour, we need to be sure about the situation regarding working conditions and public freedoms within developing countries."@en1
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