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Thank you – appreciate both WTO and GWU support
for important area of work
- WTO has long been the world's advocate for tourism and is
now a sister organization of the World Bank in the United Nations'
family
- GWU recognized for its leadership in hospitality education
in its Graduate School of Business Education.
Backdrop
- Tourism is a key industry from an economic perspective
– particularly in generating employment
- There is a global recognition that tourism could contribute
more to development strategies in low income countries
- Since "sustainable development", tourism has embraced
more than just economic growth
- Tourism has been a positive force for conservation and increased
social inclusion...
- In particular it generates opportunities and choices for rural
communities
- Tourism has proven to be productive and adaptable for a wide
range of developing countries
- BUT it's a challenging multi-sectoral activity – Bank
is trying to strengthen its capacity in this respect in tourism
and elsewhere
Positive trends
- More money is being spent in developing countries
by tourists
- Tourism growth rates remain high
- Growing middle classes with increased disposable incomes and
leisure time
Bank's core business is poverty reduction; tourism is a valid
contributor because it is an important source of employment,
environmental stewardship, and cultural preservation
Looking at the current situation
Internally – a recent internal stock taking of our tourism
related activities showed…
- Tourism is an important economic activity for 80% of the Bank's
client countries:
Some examples
- Small island economies, including Indian Ocean, Pacific and
Caribbean islands;
- Countries with vast natural resources, often in areas with
few economic options, such as Brazil, Madagascar, Tanzania,
Zambia
- Countries with interesting cultural patrimonies, such as Cambodia,
China, Indonesia and Mali
- Tourism shows up as a focal sector in 90% of Poverty Reduction
and Strategy Papers (PRSPs) – the key document for providing
the government's framework of donor support
- Over 3% of the Bank Group's lending portfolio involves tourism
at some level in more than 100 projects and 56 countries
- We are involved in tourism through a variety of sectors, mainly
Infrastructure, Private Sector Development and Environment
- Different networks across the Bank have developed their own
approaches to tourism work
- There is considerable analytical work completed on tourism,
looking at micro linkages and constraints
Externally – a lot of activity noted -
this forum is testament to that!
- There is increased demand for tourism related lending and
analysis
- Broad recognition that tourism is a private sector activity
that requires appropriate government policy to catalyze investment
and regulate the sector effectively
- Environmental conservation and social inclusion are both integral
parts of current practices
- HOWEVER tourism reforms are still slow in coming, governments
typically have not committed resources, accurate tourism statistics
and indicators of growth and employment are elusive…there
is a lot that could be done to improve the government performance
of tourism in developing economies
Looking ahead / Challenges
Internally
- We are working on analyzing our various approaches across
sectors and harmonizing them
- We are looking towards the development of an improved methodology
and framework for approaching tourism investments more holistically,
something that utilizes more of the skill sets and products
already in the Bank
- We are moving towards developing new indicators like: What
barriers face rural communities when they want to own and develop
tourism facilities? How many licenses does the average tour
operator need? How long does it take to clear imports through
customs? What kind of human resource skills are required?
- When compared across borders, these are practical tools that
will allow governments to prioritize reforms and improve the
productivity and efficiency of not just tourism businesses.
Externally
- There is a need for improved coordination and information-sharing
across the board
- We recognize the need for forging lasting partnerships with
complimentary organizations
- Bank and WTO have an MOU that we expect to revisit and strengthen
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