[dropcap]L[/dropcap]IKE every year, World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27. An event promoted annually by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the theme for this year’s commemoration is “Tourism and Community Development”. In its Global Code of Ethics, the UNWTO says that tourism must be a beneficial activity for destination communities: “Local populations should be associated with tourism activities and share equitably in the economic, social and cultural benefits they generate, and particularly in the creation of direct and indirect jobs resulting from them.” That is, it calls on both realities to establish a reciprocal relationship, which leads to mutual enrichment. The notion of “community development” is closely linked to a broader concept which is “integral human development”. It is through this latter term that we understand and interpret the former. In this regard, the words of Pope Paul VI are quite illuminating. In his Encyclical Populorum Progression, he stated that “the development we speak of here cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. To be authentic, it must be well rounded; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man.”
How tourism can contribute to this development? To this end, integral human development and, thus, community development in the field of tourism should be directed towards achieving a balanced progress that is sustainable and respectful in three areas: economic, social and environmental. By “environmental”, we mean both the ecological and cultural context. Tourism is a key driver of economic development, given its major contribution to GDP (between 3% and 5% worldwide), employment (between 7% and 8% of the jobs) and exports (30% of global exports of services). At present, the world is experiencing a diversification in the number of destinations, as anywhere in the world has the potential to become a tourist destination. Therefore, tourism is one of the most viable and sustainable options to reduce poverty in the most deprived areas. If properly developed, it can be a valuable instrument for progress, job creation, infrastructure development and economic growth. As highlighted by Pope Francis, we are conscious that “human dignity is linked to work,” and as such we are asked to address the problem of unemployment with “the tools of creativity and solidarity.” In that vein, tourism appears to be one of the sectors with the most capacity to generate a wide range of “creative” jobs with greater ease. These jobs could benefit the most disadvantaged groups, including women, youth or certain ethnic minorities. It is imperative that the economic benefits of tourism reach all sectors of local society, and have a direct impact on families, while at the same time take full advantage of local human resources. It is also essential that these benefits follow ethical criteria that are, above all, respectful to people both at a community level and to each person, and avoid “a purely economic conception of society that seeks selfish benefit, regardless of the parameters of social justice.” No one can build his prosperity at the expense of others. The benefits of a tourism promoting “community development” cannot be reduced to economics alone: there are other dimensions of equal or greater importance. Among these include: cultural enrichment, opportunities for human encounter, the creation of “relational goods”, the promotion of mutual respect and tolerance, the collaboration between public and private entities, the strengthening of the social fiber and civil society, the improvement of the community’s social conditions, the stimulus to sustainable economic and social development, and the promotion of career training for young people, to name but a few. The local community must be the main actor in tourism development. They must make it their own, with the active presence of government, social partners and civic bodies. It is important that appropriate coordination and participation structures are created, which promote dialogue, make agreements, complement efforts and establish common goals and identify solutions based on consensus. Tourism development is not to do something “for” the community, but rather, “with” the community. Furthermore, a tourist destination is not only a beautiful landscape or a comfortable infrastructure, but it is, above all, a local community with their own physical environment and culture. It is necessary to promote a tourism that develops in harmony with the community that welcomes people into its space, with its traditional and cultural forms, with its heritage and lifestyles. And in this respectful encounter, the local population and visitors can establish a productive dialogue which will promote tolerance, respect and mutual understanding. The local community should feel called upon to safeguard its natural and cultural heritage, embracing it, taking pride in it, respecting and adding value to it, so that they can share this heritage with tourists and transmit it to future generations. Also, the people of that community must be capable of displaying their art, traditions, history, and moral and spiritual values, but, above all, the faith that lies at the root of all these things and gives them meaning.
Nagaland Hotel & Restaurant Association (NHRA) along with rest of the world community is also celebrating the world tourism day since its inception in the year 2011. Every year we at NHRA try to involve the society and the community in the celebration of the World Tourism Day in order to sensitize the people about Tourism industry and its benefits. Some of our activities from the past World Tourism Day celebrations are given below:-
2011: Seminar, on theme “Quality Tourism Management in relation to hotel industry”
2012: We conducted an inter school competition on extempore speech, essay writing, poetry Writing & drawing which were all based on the theme “Prospect and promotion of Tourism of Nagaland”
2013: We organized “cleanliness Drive” and made a face lift by cleaning and painting the Trees at Naga shopping arcade at Super market Dimapur including old flyover in Dimapur.
2014: And this year we are going to celebrate the occasion at Kisama along with Dept. of tourism, Govt. of Nagaland with all the other state holders of the Tourism Industry.
Contributed by:
Nagaland Hotel & Restaurant Association,
NHRA. Dimapur
