Postcard from Bishkek

Amongst the advantages of tourism which are often lauded are economic factors such as: increased employment by providing services for the tourist; increased income earned in the destination leading to improved standards of living; increased tax revenues received by the host country; improved facilities for the local population on the back of providing infrastructure, etc. for visitors.

All of this is true and extremely valuable.  Tourism, for example, accounts for something like 9% of the global GDP and provides employment for over 250 million people worldwide.  I think, however, that there are also many intangible advantages to be gained from tourism which are probably as important, if not more so.

Amongst these are the fact that tourism helps to bring people and cultures together, creating a greater awareness, understanding and acceptance of those different peoples and cultures … a recognition that we live in a global village and have much to learn from each other.

This idea of “Tourism - Linking Cultures” is the theme behind the World Day of Tourism this year which, as usual, is being commemorated on September 27th.

World Tourism Day is organized by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization, (UNWTO), which invites people all over the world to participate in a variety of events designed  to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value on September 27 every year, (i.e. today).

September 27 was chosen because on that date in 1970 marked the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes.  It was thought an appropriate date because it comes at the end of the high tourist season in the northern hemisphere whilst marking the start of the tourist season in the southern hemisphere.

The purpose of establishing a special day was to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.  In particular, the event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs), and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

The UNWTO Secretary-General and other officials, such as the UN General Secretary, usually issue communiques or messages to the general public to mark the occasion.  Many tourism enterprises and organizations, as well as government agencies with a special interest in tourism, celebrate the event with various special events and festivities.  Different types of competitions, such as photo competitions – the UNWTO, for example, are operating a global competition on Linking Cultures this year, as well as tourism award presentations in areas such as ecotourism, are held on World Tourism Day.  Government and community leaders, as tourism business representatives, may take the opportunity to make public announcements hold press conferences and issue Press Releases about Tourism.

A theme is usually declared for the day’s activities each year and, as I said, this year the theme is “Tourism – Linking Cultures”; and is aimed to provide an opportunity to highlight the role of tourism in economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity, and fostering a universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and especially, “bringing the cultures of the world together and promoting global understanding through travel”.

With the millions of people that travel the world each year, (940 million tourists crossing international borders in 2010 according to UNWTO statistics), there has never been before so many people that have been to so many places, nor been so exposed to other cultures.   This interaction between individuals and communities from different backgrounds, and their diverse cultures, leads to tolerance, respect and mutual understanding – “the building blocks for a more peaceful world and as such”.

Every year the UNWTO organize an annual conference based on the chosen theme, and this year’s is to be held in Egypt where, of course, Tourism is a major sector of the economy – contributing something like 12% to the country’s GDP.  This year it might well be different as they have also had their own “little local difficulty”.

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We normally associate Tourism with Rest and Relaxation, but travel is also an educational experience.  Now, you might expect a former teacher like me to emphasize the educative aspects of tourism – but it is something that I strongly believe and for many people experiencing different ways of life, discovering new food and customs and visiting cultural sites are the main motivations that some people have for travel.

Also, as UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon says in his message for World Tourism Day, ”there is no better way to learn about a new culture than to experience it first-hand”.

Of course, not everyone agrees with me – there are plenty of people who just want to “get away from it all” and others who want the comfort of familiarity.  After all, I like my Marmite – but when I visit a new country or city I don’t always go looking for the British Pub … I would much rather benefit from new experiences.

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Of course, in order to link cultures it is also necessary to preserve and promote the cultures of the world – in all their forms, which means that tourism can also provide a stimulus and tool for the conservation, perpetuation and development of cultures which might otherwise be under threat.   The growth of tourism brings serious responsibilities to minimize any potentially negative impacts on the cultural assets and heritage of mankind.  As the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism states:

Tourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which they should protect and pass on to future generations.

Or, as UNWTO’s Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, said in his annual message: “Culture is one of our most precious assets and needs protecting. As we launch World Tourism Day 2011, I call on all people to conduct tourism in a way that preserves and enriches the cultural wealth of the world for future generations”.

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Now, I appreciate that to some people this will sound like “wishy washy liberal thinking”, but in that case I am happy to identify myself as a “wishy washy liberal”, even though in many respects I consider myself to be far from that.

Many people around the world are proud of their culture and heritage – and rightly so.  It seems to me, however, that they often confuse that pride with an arrogant sense of superiority.  Their culture, their heritage, is better than everyone else’s.  Apart from the sheer arrogance of this, it seems to me short sighted.

For example, I am British – I was born and grew up in the United Kingdom.  I obviously understand and feel more comfortable with the way that we do things back in Britain, (or rather the way that we did things back in Britain when I was growing up … things may well have changed somewhat in the sixteen years I have been here), but that doesn’t mean that it is the right way to do things.

Don’t we have a saying, “When in Rome …”?  The implication of that might be that we should do everything that the “locals” do, but I don’t think that’s what it really means.  You have to be true to yourself, after all.  It would be wrong, for example, to surrender personal integrity and do something which you are unhappy about simply because the others around you are doing it.   For example, although I like Bozo and Maksym so I am happy to drink them, I’m not that fond of either Vodka or Kumys and so tend not to drink them – even if everyone else around me is doing so and urging me to have some.  I will sometimes drink them – but I will decide if I going to do so, not peer pressure.

I prefer to think of that saying as meaning: “learn from the locals … they have been here for longer than you have and may well know how to handle the local circumstances better than you do”.  We can, after all, all learn learn from one another … not all the learning was “one way”; even though I was a teacher, I learned a lot from my time in the classroom as well.

It seems to me, that true wisdom involves, (amongst other things), being able to observe, recognize, understand, appreciate and respect others, their culture and heritage … and then to decide which aspects of what you have learned are worth adopting for yourself … and tourism helps us to do that – if we are open to it.

Tags: Calendar, Expat, Tourism