At the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which takes place every 10 years, the TUI Care Foundation and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced their program to place LDCs (Least Developed Countries) ) at the center of efforts to develop sustainable tourism.
Under the new Tourism and Development Fund, supported by UNWTO, the TUI Care Foundation will invest €10 million in project grants in LDCs by 2030.
According to the United Nations, sustainable tourism has the potential to be an important lever for development in many least developed countries (LDCs). Given its multitude of links with a wide range of actors and activities, it is a sector that can contribute to economic growth, community development, intercultural dialogue and environmental conservation. Using the Tourism and Development Fund, the TUI Care Foundation will have a positive impact in the areas of education, local entrepreneurship, support for crafts and creative activities, and the protection of natural habitats terrestrial and aquatic.
President of the TUI Care Foundation, Thomas Ellerbeck, explained:
“The least developed countries have enormous untapped tourism potential, which holds great promise for their economic, social and environmental sustainability. With the UNWTO, we will bet on tourism as a vector of cross-sector growth and favor favorable conditions for the activity of business creators and small businesses. Women entrepreneurs in particular, who tend to offer more sustainable digital solutions, deserve to receive more support. We want to put LDC destinations on the world tourism map. Examples like Cape Verde demonstrate that tourism is a positive force, anywhere in the world. »
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said:
“For least developed countries around the world, the tourism sector is a pillar of growth and a source of opportunity. With the Tourism and Development Fund, the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) and the TUI Care Foundation will inject investments that are vital to the sector, working directly with local actors to harness the sector’s unrivaled ability to drive the economic development and to protect culture and ecosystems, and to place emerging destinations on the world tourism map. »
In application of the Foundation’s strategic framework, the projects will focus more specifically on work-study vocational training for disadvantaged populations, the conservation of endangered species, sustainable agriculture, the protection of marine environments, the empowerment of local actors in the entrepreneurship, creative industries and crafts, and the promotion of sustainable investments. Based on a rigorous analysis of local needs, the Fund will support projects aimed at building the capacity of people in destinations to improve their livelihoods, conserve and regenerate nature and create market-driven solutions that benefit tourist destinations. LDCs targeted include Cambodia, Gambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal and Zambia.
In support of the Tourism and Development Fund, UNWTO will provide a platform to promote
And it will invite donors to participate in and support calls for proposals, liaise with LDC member states and international organizations to improve coordination, and co-host a series of events to showcase the potential of LDCs. in sustainable tourism.
UNWTO Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic added: “The establishment of the Tourism and Development Fund represents a major step towards a more sustainable tourism sector. Funding will go where it will have the greatest impact and will enable the populations of the least developed countries to take charge of their tourism development, to open up prospects and help protect and enhance the cultural and natural heritage. »
TUI Care Foundation Executive Director Alexander Panczuk added:
“With the World Tourism Organization, we invite interested potential partners to join us in collaborating and joining forces to unlock the potential of tourism in LDCs. The Tourism and Development Fund will harness the strength of the tourism sector in the race against time to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations. »
