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 Secretariat press release

Tourism key in fight against poverty, says Commonwealth Secretary-General

19 March 2004

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon says tourism can play a key role in transforming the lives of poor people. Addressing the opening ceremony of the first ever Commonwealth Tourism Ministers Meeting, in Malaysia, 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."

Mr McKinnon highlighted the importance of the meeting, hosted in Kuala Lumpur, at the initiative of the Malaysian Government, from 19-21 March 2004: "Tourism among Commonwealth countries represents a huge growth potential and this meeting can help identify strategies to boost that potential and translate it into concrete outcomes." The Commonwealth, he said, has distinct advantages in the area of tourism.One is the wide array of destinations within the Commonwealth, catering for virtually every tourist need: "from beach life in Fiji to night life in Jamaica, from mountain climbing in Kenya to scuba diving in Maldives, from temple gazing in India to whale watching in South Africa, from skiing in Canada to golf here in Malaysia."

The common features shared by Commonwealth countries, he explained, also put them in a strong position to work together to boost tourism. "When I say that we speak the same language in the Commonwealth, I mean more than English: we share common values, common legal and political institutions, we have similar business practices, similar traditions and a common sense of culture and history."

The Secretary-General alluded to the many setbacks suffered by tourism worldwide after the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. He stressed that this Commonwealth Tourism Ministers Meeting would be an important opportunity to discuss key issues regarding security and health crises and, hopefully, to identify joint solutions. The Secretary-General concluded by highlighting the great potential for collaboration represented by the Commonwealth network: "I am confident that this meeting will mark the start of a new chapter in Commonwealth cooperation, as countries come together to promote tourism for the mutual benefit of all members, in the best spirit of Commonwealth friendship and solidarity."

 Full Text of Speech
 Background Papers

Share this page
About this

ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int