World Tourism Organization calls for increased Air Service to developing countries

Addressing civil aviation leaders at the ICAO Assembly in Montreal end of last week, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) called on them to be proactive in addressing two vital challenges for the international community - harnessing aviation in the fight against poverty and simplifying passenger processing while stepping up security.

To help the world's poorest countries develop their economies the WTO called for new measures to increase air service from the tourist generating markets of developed states. It reiterated its 2003 proposal for the international community to provide financial support for service to high potential tourism markets in the least developed countries (LDCs).

The WTO is currently undertaking a study with ICAO of Essential Tourism Development Routes (ETDR) to analyse how industrialized states have subsidised thin developmental routes in their domestic markets and to recommend ways to apply similar approaches for international route development. The WTO believes that in a globalizing, liberalizing marketplace, poor country routes are de facto socio-politically equivalent to market failure thin "domestic" routes.

Such poor country routes should be given parallel treatment in terms of regulation and financial support as is given in big domestic markets like the US and the EU.

Geoffrey Lipman Special Advisor to the Secretary General of WTO said, "There is no better vehicle for boosting the economies of poor countries than well managed tourism. In the majority of LDCs tourism is already one of the top export and job creators - it's the only service sector where all LDCs are producers with comparative advantage based on natural resource, tradition and cultural diversity. And it's not a zero sum game - it provides benefits for the industry, consumers and foreign aid strategies of rich origin countries."

The WTO also stressed the need for further, coordinated action by the international community to intensify worldwide, security measures in the fight against terrorism. It believes that Tourism authorities can play an important role. It is organizing think-tanks, seminars and technical missions to consistently amplify existing efforts. The WTO emphasised the importance of shoring up standards and systems in developing countries and is undertaking capacity building with tourism authorities in these states.

At the same time there is a parallel need to take action to: to integrate facilitation with security; to reduce irritation for travellers, to control security costs. and to provide assistance in relieving the cost burden of security for developing countries. The challenge is to use technology, standards and human skills along with system streamlining and targeted finance. And to do it in a way which takes full account of increasing numbers of travellers, shifting markets and a goal of moving people more speedily and with more dignity through international borders. Again the biggest need for support will be in the area of greatest system weakness - the world's poorest countries.

The WTO established its SAFE programme to bring these issues together for tourism authorities, communities, the private sector and the traveller.

See other recent news from: World Tourism Organization