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Tourism Working Group |
Sustainable tourism is a key economic driver for the Asia-Pacific region, creating jobs and promoting investment and development.
The APEC Tourism Charter, endorsed at the 1st Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Korea in 2000, constitutes the basis for APEC tourism cooperation. The Charter reflects a collective commitment to improve the economic, cultural, social and environmental well-being of APEC Member Economies through tourism. The Charter recognises the significant contribution tourism makes to APEC economies. It establishes four key policy goals and an agreed process for realising these aims:
- Goal No.1: removal of impediments to tourism business and investment (chaired by Thailand)
- Goal No.2: increase mobility of visitors and demand for tourism goods and services (chaired by Indonesia)
- Goal No.3: sustainable management of tourism outcomes and impacts (chaired by New Zealand)
- Goal No.4: enhance recognition and understanding of tourism as a vehicle for economic and social development (chaired by Australia).
The TWG's objective is to foster economic development in the Asia-Pacific region through sustainable tourism recognising that: tourism is one the region's fastest growing industries and is of significant importance to the economic development of the APEC economies; tourism is important in fostering regional understanding and cooperation; the tourism industry in member economies is at different levels of development; and member economies share the common goal of quality development and services.
Achievements
The 5th Tourism Ministerial Meeting was held in Lima, Peru in April 2008 with the theme "Towards Responsible Tourism in the Asia-Pacific Region."
Ministers endorsed The Pachacamac Declaration which voices support for joint strategies to guide responsible tourism in the region. The Declaration emphasises social, corporate and environmental responsibility, promotes the implementation of renewable energy and encourages social inclusion that contributes to the economic development of local communities. The Declaration also promotes better air connectivity through the creation of new air routes and frequencies of exchange to facilitate tourism and foreign trade.
Discussions and presentations were held on: Social Inclusion and Indigenous Tourism; Corporate Social Responsibility; Environmental Responsibility; Cultural Tourism; Aviation Connectivity; and Cruise Development in the APEC Region.
Economies shared information on what they are doing on ecotourism and environmental standards for tourism, hotels and particular geographical areas. They also reported on the rational use of resources in the development of tourism to facilitate the protection and preservation of natural regional assets.
Current Activities
The 34th Tourism Working Group Meeting was held on 28-29 May 2009.
A Singapore self-funded APEC Cruise Forum was held before the meeting. Speakers from the private sectors highlighted growth opportunities for the Asia-Pacific cruise industry.
Several TWG members shared their experiences of tourism industry recovery post the global economic crisis, and outlined what measures they have introduced to deal with the crisis.
Members agreed to revisit and subsequently modify and improve the focus of the four policy goals of APEC's Tourism Charter. The meeting also endorsed the development of future tourism-related capacity building projects that respond to Leaders' and Ministers' directives.
Updates were provided on current capacity building projects including:
Capacity Building on Tourism Satellite Account as the basis for Promoting Liberalisation and Facilitation in Tourism Services. Australia provided a progress report and is now preparing proposals for the consultants. The consultants will be asked to conduct a survey to gauge the situation regarding member economies' development and implementation of a Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA) structure according to international standards.
Capacity Building on Community Based Tourism as a Vehicle for Poverty Reduction and Dispersing Economic Benefits At The Local Level in Developing Member Economies. Malaysia presented the draft final report, including the result of the workshop which was held in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia on 20-24 April 2009.
Best Practices in Key Rural Tourism Resources Managed by Local Communities (Thermal Resources). The project aims to raise APEC member economies' awareness of the importance of community managed tourism in rural areas, focusing on its importance as a vehicle for local social and economic development. The project will make particular reference to thermal tourism. A best practices publication on community-based tourism management as a development tool will be developed and disseminated to local communities.
Identification of best practice in the use of clean technologies as a source of energy in hostelry. The project will identify and disseminate best practice in the use of clean technologies as the main source of energy in hostelry businesses (e.g. hostels, small hotels, bed and breakfast, pensions).The objective is to promote the implementation of clean technologies to strengthen sustainability in the tourism sector.
Best practice management of visitor carrying capacity issues for cultural, heritage and natural sites in the APEC region. Australia informed the meeting that the project has been approved and is ready for implementation.
A concept paper on a possible project proposal for 2010 - namely, hosting a workshop with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) focusing on enhancing skills development for competitiveness in tourism and sharing of good practices in tourism education and training - was presented at the meeting.
The 35th TWG Meeting will be held in Cusco, Peru on 13-17 October 2009. The 36th TWG meeting is expected to be held in Lombok, Indonesia in May 2010. The 37th TWG and 6th TMM will be held in Nara, Japan on 18th -23rd September 2010.
Tourism Working Group (TWG) - Key Contacts
Lead Shepherd
Mr Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh MOHAMED
Director General, Brunei Tourism
Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources
Jalan Menteri Besar
Bandar Seri Begawan BB 3910
Brunei Darussalam
Tel: (6732) 382 822
Fax: (6732) 382 824 / 382 807
Email: sheikhjimmy@bruneitourism.travel
APEC Secretariat
Mr Toni Widhiastono
Director (Program)
E-mail: tw@apec.org
Reviewed on: 9 October 2009