Tourism , Culture and Sustainable Development

This study has been carried out as a part of the programme " Culture, tourism and development " of the Division of cultural policies and intercultural dialogue, Section culture and development by Pr Mike Robinson and Dr David Picard. The views expressed by the author, the selection of facts presented and the opinions stated with regard to the facts are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. 4 We can safely say today that, thanks to the boom in tourism in recent decades, never before in the history of humanity have the inhabitants of this planet travelled as much, or been as much engaged in the discovery of other cultures. So, what are we, as international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), politicians, policy makers, practitioners and as ordinary citizens and tourists, doing with this tremendous opportunity to advance understanding among the inhabitants of the planet through encounters with others and their cultural and artistic expressions, monumental and living, past and present? We believe that tourism, which brings individuals and human communities into contact , and through them cultures and civilizations, has an important role to play in facilitating dialogue among cultures. Tourism also has the capacity to assist the world's inhabitants to live better together and thereby contribute to the construction of peace in the minds of men and women, to paraphrase the Constitution of UNESCO. Cultural and natural heritage, that attracts so many tourists, and is a resource for development , is, fortunately, distributed throughout the world, thus providing an additional opportunity for many non-industrialized countries. Raising awareness, educating and training the staff concerned, is essential in involving communities in the process of conserving and enhancing their heritage. It is the involvement of all that will enable the heritage of humanity to be better preserved, living conditions to be improved and poverty reduced. Preserving cultural and natural heritage, to bring it within reach of all, making cultures and civilizations better known, improving daily living conditions and reducing poverty, is what gives meaning to the sustainability of tourism development. However, these objectives depend upon the quality of the …