[UN] celebrates tourism -- with reservations

From The National Business Review

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is warning about the dangers of over-active tourism even while celebrating the role tourism plays in the global transfer of wealth.

Noting that tourism is the primary source of foreign exchange in all but a few of the least developed countries, Mr Annan said that while the sector can play an important role in helping people lift themselves out of poverty, there are pitfalls to be avoided.

"Indeed, international tourism is one of the few ways in which the least developed countries have managed to increase their participation in the global economy," he declared in a message to the 16th session of the UN World Tourism Organization, delivered in Dakar, Senegal, by the UN Resident Coordinator there, Alberic Kacou.

At the same time, he stressed that tourism must be managed carefully to prevent a wide range of harmful effects that are becoming all too visible in many popular destinations.

"These include destruction of natural heritage through overbuilding; ever higher demands on scarce water and energy resources; damage to ecologically fragile areas caused by irresponsible development; threats to indigenous cultures; exploitation of workers; organized sex tourism, and - most tragic of all - child sex tourism, which affects millions of children each year," he said.