Dozens of member states exhibited at the World Travel Market in London this week, aiming to present their countries as dream holiday destinations.
Dozens of member states exhibited at the World Travel Market in London this week, aiming to present their countries as dream holiday destinations.
Many Commonwealth countries share concerns over the impact of climate change on the tourist trade in their country. Providing income, employment and engendering relationships for business and investment opportunities, tourism is often essential for national development.
In Fiji, tourism provides 33 per cent of national wealth. But like many of the Pacific islands, global warming and rising sea levels pose a growing threat.
Jane West, from Tourism Fiji, explained: “The Fiji government has launched an initiative to protect the pristine environment for the future, educating visitors and people living in Fiji about the impact of exploiting the environment.”
Targeting the climate-conscious visitor, environmentally friendly tourism is central to Australia’s current tourism drive. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, is a main attraction, and commercial marine tourism contributes to its preservation.
Christina Dragaesser from Tourism Australia said: “We have a lot of eco-tourism projects, ranging from resorts that are eco-friendly to indigenous tours where the guide explains how aboriginal people gather food and hunt – and how they have lived in in harmony with this environment for thousands for years.”
The tourist trade in other Commonwealth countries is bouncing back after periods of turmoil. For more than two decades Sri Lanka endured a civil war, causing significant hardships for its people, environment and economy. Since the war ended in 2009, the country has gone from strength to strength and has seen huge growth in tourism.
Ashani, an air steward for Sri Lanka Airlines, said: “It is close to a decade since the war ended, and I am so proud of my country because the development is very fast. We’ve got new highways, and new hotels, even a seven-star resort that's being built. For a tourist, it is one of the safest places in the world.”
In Kenya, tourism was hindered in recent years by a warning from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office that advised against non-essential travel to certain areas, including its coastline. This warning has recently been lifted. With the country’s summer just about to start, now is an opportune time for the nation to attract essential visitors.
Sophie Holloway, of the Kenya Tourism Board UK and Irish Office said: “Kenya has had a tough time over the past couple of years and business has really suffered. Tourism is integral to Kenya, it has a huge impact on the local economy so a huge number of people depend on tourism for their livelihood, whether that’s working in hotels, ground-handlers or travel agencies.”
On hand to promote their country’s culture and scenery, were the winner and runner up of Miss Tourism Ghana - an annual pageant to crown a queen and ambassador of tourism. The runner-up, Danielle Akorfa Awuma, said: “Tourism has become one of our main targets in Ghana. We want to make it the number one earner for the country. Before, we didn’t take tourism into much consideration, but since we have realised it can become a source of income and employment.”
The winner of Miss Tourism Ghana, Geraldine Atta Sappor, added: “Here at the World Travel market, tourism promotion has been great as we have been able to reach out to people from all the other countries and all the other continents. I hope we will be able to get people to come to Ghana!”
