The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) supports Myanmar’s bold new tourism leap and requires green growth leadership. ICTP is a quick growing Hawaii, Brussels and Seychelles-based global alliance of greater than 100 tourism destinations, associations and personal stakeholders as members.
Attending the area Economic Forum’s East Asia Summit today, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of ICTP and a Member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council complimented the govt. of Myanmar on its newly-released Tourism Master Plan.
Presenting “Sustainability Principles” on behalf of the Forum’s “High Level Travel&Tourism Meeting” to U Atay Aung, the Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism Lipman said that “We all believe enthusiastically in Myanmar’s vision and strategic planning to spice up tourism as a crucial tool for development, job creation and nation building – we also believe that with our continuing collective support, embodied within the se “Guiding Principles for Sustainability” in the sector, it is possible for you to to place green at the same page as growth.”
Lipman, who will moderate the Forum’s Travel&Tourism session also released an entire supportive statement from The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) as set out below.
Travel&Tourism – Shaping a Green Growth Roadmap for Myanmar
Myanmar is at a very important crossroads in its economic and social re-awakening. That’s among the many real examples in our lifetimes of a rustic with an opportunity to head rapidly and constructively from the backwaters into the mainstream of worldwide affairs, and to deal positively with its own transformational challenges and opportunities, while dealing with those of the hot orient centric, BRICS buoyant, hyper-connected world into which it’s emerging.
It is obviously greater than symbolic that the area Economic Forum is holding its East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Taw – the fashionable regenerated capital of an ancient community, which has always been on the crossroads of Asia’s turbulent growth. It’s an indication of real confidence inside the country and its socio-political evolution, from the worlds’ top business, government and civil society leaders who should be present.
Given the Summit’s theme of “Courageous Transformation for Inclusion and Integration,” there’s arguably not more relevant and challenging issue on its agenda than travel and tourism. This cross-sectoral, transformational activity has emerged prior to now decade as one of several new change agents for economic and social inclusion and a pillar of the advance framework.
Travel and tourism has become essentially the mostsome of the most dynamic drivers of the worldwide economy, accounting directly and indirectly for five-10% of world GDP, jobs and trade. It tracks closely the ebbs and flows of national and regional economic patterns and is far prior to the curve in the case of today’s pivotal job creation focus. Simultaneously it’s an activity that each year moves billions of individuals across the planet domestically and internationally, with important carbon footprint, capacity impact and resource consumption dimensions.
Here then is a key challenge for the recent Myanmar, which has jumped up every traveler’s “must visit” wish list and, in fact, is a large growth opportunity for the travel industry and the entire other sectors which are cross fertilized by it. balance the capability positives for trade, job creation, nation building and community well-being, with the possible negatives of congestion, exploitation and resource depletion Methods to do that in a coherent, measured way that’s within the vanguard of socio-economic transformation while ensuring that environment, human and climate impacts are kept within tolerable limits Primarily, a way to do that while safeguarding the authenticity and sweetness, that is the essence of the rustic and its people
Fortunately Myanmar is setting up a plan for the progressive long-term sustainable development of the world. With the support of the international finance and development community, in addition to the active encouragement of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council, the Minister of Hotels and Tourism, U Htay Aung will unveil a primary draft of a master plan for the arena, in the course of the East Asia Summit. This can be a welcome and timely initiative. And likewise a courageous sign of the vision of the govt. to put out its plans for open discussion of a central development issue for public peer review and input before not after the choices were made.
As President of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners – a grass roots organization of tourism destinations and stakeholders committed to green growth and quality – and as a participant within the Forum’s Travel and Tourism Summit, I welcome the foresight and leadership of the govt of Myanmar. We glance forward to a plan that starts by putting green at the same page as growth and commits to pursuing both goals in harmony and on the same pace.
Recommended