ABOUT THE TOURISM AND MIGRATION
CONFERENCE
Participants in the 2007 Tourism and Migration E-Conference
are sharing examples from countries around the globe, including
Canada, Ecuador, Mexico, Nepal, South Africa, Thailand and the
United States.
Participants are asked to reflect on the difference between
travel and migration and to relay their own experiences and
research. We also gage the effectiveness of tourism in creating
jobs and an alternative to migration and review the role that
foreign residents play in educating visitors.
We will be looking at options for investing in tourism training
and infrastructure a viable outlet for migrant remittances.
This was Planeta's 18th formal e-conference (see index).
DEFINING THE DIALOGUE
Tourism enterprises are increasingly considered as providing
an alternative to migration and a vehicle to alleviate
poverty in struggling economies by creating jobs. Likewise,
tourists are staying longer in places -- blurring the distinction
between tourism and migration.
What is the difference between a migrant and a tourist? Traditional
definitions says a tourist is someone who spends less than a
year in a place. Instead of looking at time spent, what if we
paid attention to the impact -- in the community and the visitor?
CO-SPONSORS
Planeta.com
Transitions
Abroad
Co-Hosting
We welcome sponsorship to defray the cost of hosting and summarizing
the conference. Those interested should review the sponsorship
details and contact us.
ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS
Marcus
Bauer, FLICKR
Gerhard
Buttner, FLICKR
Mary
Finn, FLICKR
Juan
Gonzalez, Global Culture
Amy
Krause, Mountain Forum
Ron
Mader, Planeta.com, FLICKR
Julia
Schonharl, Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism
Trip
Sweeney, StepUp Travel
CALENDAR
October 2004: Conference Announced
2005-2006: Conference Preparation
January-March 2007: Registration
March-June 2007: Dialogue
TBA: Editing and presentation of Summary Document
YOUR TURN
Call for papers! Planeta.com is seeking original essays and recommended links to resources elsewhere on the Web.
If you care to contribute an article or suggest a link, consult
our writers'
guidelines.
Spread the word! Those interested in this topic
are encouraged to create web links to this page.
Webmasters, please add a link from your site.
If possible, add the banner.
OBJECTIVES
As in previous
online events the objective of the Tourism and Migration
E-Conference is to conduct a lively dialogue that engages and
educates the participants and those listening in. We will expand
our index of recommended background
reading and update other pages on this website.
QUESTIONS
We pose the following questions as topics for discussion:
How
effective is tourism in creating jobs and providing an alternative
to migration?
What
role do long-term foreign residents play in educating visitors?
Are
investments in tourism training and infrastructure a viable
outlet for migrant remittances?
To
what degree does tourism development displace local people?
What
is the difference between slow travel and migration?
Are there examples of the tourism industry taking a proactive
role to improve situation of migrant workers?
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