ISTI Students' blog

© President Felipe Claderon cc2010 Cancun Mexico

Last United Nation Conference on Climate Change has concluded highlighting the impact that tourism activities over sustainable development.

A COP16 side-event, organized jointly by the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico and UNWTO, ‘Tourism’s response to climate change: What’s next? has outlined the progress made by the sector to mitigate its impact and adapt to one of today’s biggest challenges. At the beginning of the event, the Mexican President Felipe Calderon has remarked the fundamental labour of tourism activities  “tourism is perfectly compatible with the environment,” and that focus must be placed on tourism’s « environmental calling”.

Moreover, the Minister of Tourism Gloria Guevara, encouraged participants by saying: “Our natural resources can and should coexist with tourism ». Also, she pointed to Mexico as a country whose rich natural resources sustain a large part of its tourism activity, in turn representing “9% of Mexico’s GDP and over seven million direct and indirect jobs”.

The side-event presented the work undertaken so far by the tourism public and private sectors to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote the adaption in tourism businesses and destinations, invest in new technologies and support developing countries through financing. In particular, participants underlined the vulnerability of certain tourism destinations in developing countries to the devastating impacts of climate change, ranging from rising sea levels and the destruction of coral reefs, to the loss of basic tourism services such as water supply and food security.

Source:  Travel Dayly News