Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Home
  2. What's New
  3. Who We Are
  4. What We Do
    1. Democracy
    2. Economics
    3. Education
    4. Gender
    5. Governance
    6. Health
    7. Human Rights
    8. Law
    9. Small States
    10. Sport
    11. Sustainability
    12. Youth
    13. Millennium Development Goals
    14. Funding
  5. News
    1. Events
    2. News Archive Search
    3. Picture Stories
  6. Media Room
    1. Press Archive Search
    2. Media Contacts
    3. Video
    4. Events
    5. In the Media
    6. Updates
    7. Downloads
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us

Commonwealth tourism action plan launched

24 March 2004

Tourism is Key to Commonwealth economies
The shared history, values and language among the people of the Commonwealth provides a good framework for boosting travel among Commonwealth countries.
Commonwealth tourism ministers, who met for the first time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week (19 to 21 March 2004) have developed an action plan to promote tourism and information exchange. The plan includes the establishment of a Commonwealth Centre for Tourism Promotion (CCTP) and the organisation of workshops to identify joint marketing and promotional activities between the public and private sector. A task force formed at the meeting will study the role of the CCTP and work out its functions as well as identify the sources of financing to run it.

"The task force will consist of representatives from all regions of the Commonwealth and be chaired by the Commonwealth Secretariat," said Malaysia's Minister for Culture, Arts and Tourism Dato' Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheik Fadzir, who chaired the meeting.

"The members will have until the end of the year to recommend to governments the terms of reference and the work plan of the proposed centre. It will create an information database and co-ordinate an information exchange, which will contribute towards a collaborative approach to tourism marketing and promotion."

The tourism ministers also agreed to work closely with the World Tourism Organisation and the World Travel and Tourism Council on trade liberalisation issues. They underscored the importance of tourism in reducing poverty and promoting investment, exports and jobs. Socio-cultural understanding and peace are also enhanced by tourism.

The ministers supported the international community's fight against terrorism and other criminal activities affecting the tourism sector. They noted the impact of these actions on trans-border movement of people, transport and economic flows. They also recognised the problems faced by some member countries in complying with international standards of safety and security, and called on donor agencies to assist.

The importance of sustainable tourism was highlighted, particularly for small and vulnerable states, and the ministers stressed the need for concrete actions to strengthen this sector. They agreed to incorporate tourism as a priority in development and poverty reduction strategies.

Secretary-General Don McKinnon said tourism can play a key role in transforming the lives of the poor as it is one of the key instruments of economic development. Speaking at the opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur last week, he said, "For many nations in the Commonwealth, including small states and developing countries, tourism is not only an important source of income, it plays an essential part in their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty. A vibrant tourism industry brings inward investment, foreign exchange earnings and stimulates employment. It is often a boon for small and medium enterprises. For them, tourism is one of the key access routes into the global economy."

Related:
Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Tourism Ministers' Communiqué March 2004

Share this page
About this