According to WTO, the aims of the "tourism enriches" campaign are:
- To promote tourism as a basic human right, and way of life which enriches individuals, family, societies and nations;
- To stimulate communication about the benefits of tourism as the most prospective economic activity for the local communities and countries;
- To enhance cooperation between destinations, and the tourism industry with the local, regional and international media; and
- To link individual tourism entities to the larger community of international tourism.
International tourism is the world's largest export earner, and an important factor in the balance of payments of many countries. According to a report of the WTO, the contribution international tourism makes to world exports stands at 8 percent, which is more than the respective contributions of the automotive industry, chemicals, or food and fuels.
The advantage of tourism as an export industry is that it earns foreign exchange, which is so vital for development, without encountering the multitude of problems that other export industries experience.
WTO sources reveal that tourism is one of the top five export categories for as many as 83 percent of the countries, and is the main source of foreign exchange earnings for at least 38 percent of the countries.
In the Maldives, in 2003, foreign exchange earnings from tourism accounted for over 90 percent of the services receipts of the balance of payments. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India have shown phenomenal growth, achieving an increase of 35 percent in 2004, and 20 percent in 2005 over the previous year, taking India's foreign exchange earnings from $3. 5 billion in 2003 to $5.7 billion in 2005.
In 2000, foreign exchange earnings from tourism in Tanzania represented around 40 percent of the country's total earnings from the export of goods and services. The Malaysian tourism industry is one of the major foreign exchange earners, second only to its manufacturing industry. More such instances may be cited.
Tourism is an important job factor, employing millions of people around the world. For example, tourism generates about 19 million direct and above 25 million indirect jobs in India. In 2004, nearly 3 million persons were employed, directly or indirectly, by the tourism industry in Thailand. In Gambia, 30 percent of the workforce depends directly or indirectly on tourism.
WTO sources suggest that tourism supports some 7 percent of the world's workers. What is important to note is that there is a greater uptake of jobs by women than in any other sector. The percentage of female employment in tourism industry varies enormously country-wise, ranging from over 60 percent in Bolivia to fewer than 10 percent in some countries.
Rural opportunities
Tourism jobs and business are usually created in the comparatively less developed regions of a country, helping to equalize economic opportunities throughout a nation and providing an incentive for residents to remain in rural areas rather than move to overcrowded cities. Tourism can help create important opportunities to diversify the local economy. It can often be developed in poor and marginal areas which have few other export and diversification options.
Tourists are often attracted to remote areas because of their high cultural, wildlife, and landscape values. Tourists, local or international, prefer economy accommodation, with security and satisfactory hygienic conditions, at the tourist spots.
In a well established developing country destination like Gambia an increasing number of tourists stay in locally owned accommodation. In Thailand, the government and the NGOs have undertaken projects aimed at community involvement in tourism through "home stays" as a tool for equitable income distribution and poverty alleviation. Zambian tourism is primarily rural based, therefore, its growth has a great impact on the development of the rural areas in that country.
Travel and tourism stimulate enormous investments in new infrastructure, most of which helps to improve the living conditions of local residents as well as tourists. Infrastructural improvements such as roads, electricity, telephone, public transport networks, better water and sewerage systems, waste disposal etcetera can improve the quality of life for residents as well as facilitate tourism.
The tourism industry provides governments with a huge amount of tax revenue each year, which adds to the national GDP. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), contribution from tourism to GDP in Thailand will increase from 11.7 percent in 2005 to 12.6 percent in 2014. In 2004, earnings from the Malaysian travel and tourism industry contributed 14.7 percent to the national GDP. In Tanzania, earnings from tourism contributed 9 percent to the national GDP in 1999 compared with only 1. 5 percent in 1990. The WTTC estimates that travel and tourism's direct, indirect, and personal tax contribution worldwide was over $ 800 billion in 1998 -- a figure it expects to double by 2010.
Cultural boost
But enrichment is not just economic. The local culture receives a boost when authorities restore monuments, open museums and establish natural parks to lure visitors. More importantly, tourism is a human history.
Fa-Hien (405-411) and Hiuen-Tsang (629-649), the earliest Chinese travelers to visit the Indian sub-continent during the rule of Chandragupta II and Harshavardhana, respectively, have left us reliable accounts of the politico-socio-economic and religious conditions of the sub-continent during the period of their visits.
Marco Polo (1254-1324), a Venetian traveler, journeyed through Asia for 24 years, reached China and became a confidant of the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan (1214-1294). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became "the greatest travelogue." More examples may be cited.
Tourism enriches with cultural, environmental and social awareness. Tourism brings peace and cooperation among nations, and builds bridges. While speaking to more than 60 tourism ministers from Muslim countries in Baku, Azerbaijan in the second week of this September, Francesco Frangialli, WTO secretary general, called on world leaders for strengthening tourism links to promote cross cultural understanding, and to use the power of tourism to build new global bridges of understanding between states.
Now, let us have a look at the tourism sector in Bangladesh. It does not present a pleasant picture. International tourist arrivals in 2001 stood at 207,199. Available sources suggest that the number stood at 207,662 in the year 2005. This means an addition of only 463 foreign tourists in four years. The meagre foreign exchange earnings due to low arrival of foreign tourists, particularly western tourists, represent one percent of Bangladesh's total export economy. Direct and indirect employment in the tourism sector is slightly over 100,000 and 200,000 respectively, and this is a discouraging figure against the country's total labour force of 75 million or so.
The question that arises is: why is there such a low arrival of foreign tourists in spite of the existence of tourism products such as the world's longest unbroken beach, the world's largest mangrove forest, riverine beauty, third century BC archaeological sites, etc.
The answer to the question may be found in the problems and constraints faced by the country's tourism sector, and these are: (a) Bangladesh's image problem abroad as a tourist destination; (b) lack of knowledge among the planners and policy makers about the fast growing tourism industry in the world, and of its role as an important earner of foreign exchange; (c) discontinuity in the implementation of policies and programs for tourism promotion with the change of governments; (d) insufficient infrastructural facilities such as roads, railway, air and riverine communication, and lack of coordination among the government agencies responsible for their improvement; (f) poor investment from private sector; (g) lack of encouragement to foreign investors to develop tourism in isolated islands such as Saint Martin's, Sonadia, etc (especially for the foreign tourists); (h) lack of appropriate steps for promotion of rural based tourism; (h) lack of skilled and professional manpower; and (i) lack of easy availability of visa for regional and international tourists.
If Bangladesh can solve the above problems and constraints on a priority basis, provide incentives to foreign investors to develop island tourism, and promote rural based tourism, she will shortly become an important destination for regional and international tourists. Tourism will enrich Bangladesh, and the observance of WTD 2006 will be meaningful.
