European Parliament resolution on tourism and development (2004/2212(INI))
Date: 2005-09-08
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: developing countries, development policy, tourism, tourism policy

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Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.8.2006

Thursday 8 September 2005

P6_TA(2005)0337

Tourism and development

European Parliament resolution on tourism and development (2004/2212(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Article 24 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000,

— having regard to the Fiji Declaration, adopted on 20 October 2004 at the 7th regional seminar of the
ACP/EU economic and social interest groups aegis of the ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament,
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on basic orientations
for the sustainability of European tourism (COM(2003)0716),

— having regard to its resolution of 14 May 2002 on the Commission communication to the Council, the
European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on work-
ing together for the future of European tourism (1),

— having regard to the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, 26 August to

4 September 2002,

— having regard to the resolution on tourism and development in the context of the management and
control of the European Development Fund (EDF), adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly in March
2001 in Libreville (2),

— having regard to the Statement by the Council and the Commission of 10 November 2000 on the

European Community's Development Policy,

— having regard to its resolution of 18 February 2000 on the Communication from the Commission
entitled ‘Enhancing tourism's potential for employment — follow-up to the conclusions and recommen-
dations of the High-Level Group’ (3),

— having regard to the resolution on tourism and development adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly on

14 October 1999 in Nassau (4),

— having regard to the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism adopted by the General Assembly of the World
Tourism Organization in Santiago (Chile) on 1 October 1999 and endorsed by a resolution of the UN
General Assembly adopted on 21 December 2001 (A/RES/56/212),

— having regard to the resolution on the cultural dimension in development cooperation,

including
matters relating to heritage and tourism adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly in Strasbourg on
1 April 1999 (5),

— having regard to the resolution of the Development Council held in Brussels on 30 November 1998 on

sustainable tourism in developing countries,

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Development (A6-0173/2005),

(1) OJ C 180 E, 31.7.2003, p. 138.
(2) OJ C 265, 20.9.2001, p. 39.
(3) OJ C 339, 29.11.2000, p. 292.
(4) OJ C 59, 1.3.2000, p. 41.
(5) OJ C 271, 24.9.1999, p. 73.

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A. whereas tourism undeniably constitutes a driving force behind growth in developing countries at all
levels; whereas there is therefore a need for regular impact assessments and the Committee on Devel-
opment of the European Parliament, in view of its competences, is ideally qualified for this task,

Thursday 8 September 2005

Tourism as a factor in economic growth

B.

C.

whereas tourism is one of the fundamental aspects of any consequent developing policy to be imple-
mented in developing countries,

whereas infrastructure projects in the areas of communications, energy, new communication techno-
logies or health and hygiene are essential to boost tourism in developing countries,

D. whereas it is fundamental that such projects should benefit both local communities and the tourist

industry,

E.

F.

G.

whereas forms of tourism seeking to guarantee fair payment for local workers and entrepreneurs merit
particular attention from the authorities, especially in the case of ‘fair tourism’,

whereas the World Tourism Organization's project ‘Eliminating Poverty through Sustainable Tourism’
contributes to the Millennium Development Goal of poverty reduction, seeking to create jobs for those
living on less than one dollar a day,

having regard to the negotiations under way for the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) which
will, as from 1 January 2008, replace the unilateral preferential trade regime for commercial relations
between the ACP countries and the EU,

H. whereas the transverse nature of the tourist industry is evident and, despite the absence of a common
tourism policy, the existing tourism unit at the Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry is clearly too
small,

Tourism as a factor in environmental protection and heritage conservation

I.

J.

K.

L.

whereas tourism can only develop if it respects natural and cultural conditions and the traditions of
the local communications where it evolves,

whereas tourism must not be seen as something hostile to the environment but as, rather, the environ-
ment's ally, since its profitability is conditional on the preservation of the environment and the heri-
tage,

whereas special attention needs to be paid by the authorities to environmentally-friendly forms of
tourism such as ecotourism, rural tourism and ‘solidarity tourism’,

whereas tourism is sustained by the conservation and improvement of the local heritage, natural and
cultural, material and non-material, and of historic buildings,

M. whereas the safety of tourists and tourist facilities and sites requires special attention on the part of the

authorities,

N. whereas it is legitimate for governments, after consulting representative tourist sector organisations, to

lay down strict rules for visitors to very popular sites,

O. whereas it is necessary to reconcile energy practices with transport policies, with a view to protecting
the environment and complying with the targets of the Kyoto Protocol aimed at sustainable devel-
opment,

P.

whereas the concept of limiting tourist numbers in small island states, mountain areas and coastal
areas affected by overwhelming numbers of tourists needs to be integrated and accepted by the
national authorities concerned,

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Tourism as a factor in democracy and political equilibrium

Q. whereas the development of tourism can be a factor in the fight against totalitarianism, dictatorships

and over-centralised power,

R.

S.

T.

U.

V.

whereas tourism is associated in some countries with violations of human rights such as child labour,
prostitution and the sexual exploitation of children,

whereas global terrorism targeted at democracy and its defenders, acting on a massive scale and indis-
criminately leaving civilians the victims of cowardly and murderous attacks, has particularly been
aimed at tourism and tourists,

whereas tourism can be a democratic activity which enables the creation, at local, regional and
national levels, of representative economic and social civil society organisations,

having regard to the federative role of tourism and its contribution to territorial, social and economic
cohesion,

whereas tourists can currently use their freedom of movement to visit several destinations in a single
trip, thus contributing to an increase in regional cooperation and to the establishment of closer
relations between countries,

W. whereas governments and, in particular, tour operators in the Member States have a major influence
on the choice of tourist destination, and negative publicity regarding countries which do not respect
the principles of democracy and human rights is a form of deterrent,

X.

whereas the International Fair Trade in Tourism Network was set up in 1999 as a three- year project
with funding from the Commission and the UK Department for International Development to pro-
mote ethical trading practices,

Tourism as a factor in public health and education

Y.

Z.

whereas a country's public health standards are an element in its attractiveness,

whereas tourism impacts on public health standards, thanks to such necessary elements as hygiene
requirements, healthcare measures, vaccination campaigns and the dissemination of information on
disease prevention,

AA. whereas HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are now global scourges,

AB. having regard to the risk arising to both tourists and local people from the spread of highly con-
tagious diseases such as diarrhoeic infections, respiratory infections, fevers of unknown cause and
hepatitis,

AC. whereas tourism impacts on education, allowing local communities access to language learning and
the new information and communications technologies and thus enabling them to promote their
cultural heritage on a basis of respect for customs and traditions while also requiring a new awareness
and adaptation to the evolution of society and modern habits,

AD. whereas it is nonetheless essential that public authorities should ensure the preservation of

local

traditions that respect human rights, especially the rights of women and of children,

Tourism as a factor in disturbance and abuse

AE. whereas all job creation measures must be compliant with International Labour Organization (ILO)

standards,

AF. whereas sex tourism must be dealt with by means of a permanent and concerted campaign on the
part of the European and local authorities, in coordination with non-governmental organisations,

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AG. whereas only coordinated measures, the spread of information and the introduction of penalties on

the basis of respect for international law can be genuinely effective,

AH. whereas widespread publicity regarding the penalties for sex tourism should have a deterrent effect,
and crimes related to sexual tourism must be prosecuted and it must be possible to bring prosecutions
both in the country of origin and in the country where they are committed,

AI.

having regard to the positive impact of the policies and measures implemented by tour operators,
travel agencies and airlines, such as the distribution of brochures or screening of videos on journeys
to sensitive destinations,

AJ.

having regard to the damaging impact of property speculation on local communities,

AK. having regard to the risk that foreign investors and the governments of developing countries may have

a shared interest in corrupt practices,

AL. having regard to the child's right to protection from exploitation and to the right to recovery as

provided for in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Articles 32, 34, 35 and 39,

Tourism as a factor in economic growth

Calls for the impact of tourism and the principles of sustainable tourism and good governance to be

1.
systematically and coherently taken into account in the drawing-up of the EU's development policy;

2.
Considers that if tourism is to be sustainable it must improve the lives of local people, protect their
environment and health, and support the local economy through the purchase of food and other resources
locally;

3.
Asks the Commission to consider the reinforcement of the technical structure in charge of tourism at
DG Enterprise, in view of tourism's transversal importance and the progressively wider set of initiatives that
affect it and originate in other areas of Community policy;

Calls for greater importance to be attached to the ‘tourism’ unit in the Commission's DG Enterprise,
4.
by making increased funds available so as to contribute to a general increase in policy proposals for the
tourism sector;

5.

Calls for a debate on the appointment of tourism experts in DG Development and DG Trade;

Calls for the promotion of locally controlled tourism initiatives aimed at poverty alleviation, the con-

6.
servation of biodiversity and the promotion of human rights;

Recommends that the Commission stresses tourism policies within the framework of its cooperation
7.
and development policies and in the context of its development guidelines and its entrepreneurial structure
consolidation efforts, namely within its relationship with the ACP countries;

Calls on ACP governments to examine policies designed to guarantee ‘planning gain’ benefits for the

8.
local communities where tourism projects take place;

9.
Insists on the need to reinvest the profits of tourism in local development; calls on tour operators to
review their ‘all-inclusive’ packages which prevent spin-off benefits to the local communities, and encourages
these operators to source materials/staff locally as far as possible, including managerial staff;

Encourages governments to promote the creation and/or development of public-private partnerships

10.
and to facilitate the setting-up of enterprises in the tourism sector;

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Calls for an increase, where appropriate, in the proportion of sustainable tourism-oriented projects

11.
financed under the European Development Fund (EDF);

Proposes that the issue of tourism, sustainable tourism and their economic impact be included in the
12.
negotiations under way on the EPAs, and that the interests of developing countries in relation to the Euro-
pean market be given positive consideration when tourism-related issues are raised by them in the GATS;

13.
Notes that in many developing countries the tourism sector is fundamentally a private- sector activ-
ity, and that the Community must therefore find ways to ensure that the interested parties and other social
partners are fully involved in all discussions regarding development policy affecting the tourism sector;

Stresses the urgent need for the Community to aid countries hit by natural disasters that affect their

14.
tourist industry;

Tourism as a factor in environmental protection and heritage conservation

15.
Calls for the adoption of a joint programme by DG Environment and DG Development in order to
export European techniques of waste management and disposal, in the form initially of impact studies and
subsequently of pilot projects;

Calls for the establishment of sustainable tourism policies and regulations to protect and conserve

16.
natural resources, the cultural heritage and traditional land tenure systems;

Encourages the optimisation of the existing technical and scientific resources with a view to prevent-

17.
ing the degradation and/or destruction of the architectural heritage and environmental deterioration;

18.
Calls for all European investments in tourism in developing countries to be subject to the same rules
applicable to granting Community funding of investments within the EU; thus, any investment which is
manifestly detrimental to the environment, human rights, ILO core labour standards, the way of life of
indigenous and autochthonous communities or the historical and cultural heritage of the recipient country
must not be supported;

19.
Calls on the Community to provide technical support to countries which, under the impact of mass
tourism, are obliged to take measures to preserve their tourist sites; calls also for an exchange of best prac-
tices in this field;

Encourages local authorities which are confronted with an over-rapid tourist boom to take measure

20.
to limit numbers where necessary;

Tourism as a factor in democracy and political equilibrium

Advocates that criminal activity be combated with all transparency in order to discourage activities

21.
such as money laundering, sex tourism, etc.;

Advocates that criminal activity be combated in such a way as not to damage countries' tourist

22.
image;

Calls,

23.
directed against tourism, including specialist training for police services;

in the interests of accessible, protected and secure tourism, for initiatives to tackle crime

Calls on the governments of developing countries to ensure the full involvement of local commun-
24.
ities in tourist activities and to ensure the fair sharing of the economic, social and cultural benefits gener-
ated;

Deplores the recent segregationist measures taken by Cuban authorities with a view to preventing

25.
personal contact between tourists and Cuban citizens working in the tourism industry;

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26.
Calls on the Commission, in its activities in support of sustainable development, to recognise the
right of a country or a region to democratically define their own priorities, when financing regional coop-
eration projects;

27.
Calls on the Member State governments and the Commission, with the support of tour operators and
experienced organisations, to act to promote ethical standards in tourism by introducing a certified Euro-
pean Fair Trade Tourism label;

Tourism as a factor in public health and education

Calls on the Union and the Member States to make available to developing countries with tourist
28.
potential their experience and know-how with a view to the on-site training of personnel; calls on the
Commission to support projects in developing countries requesting such know-how;

Calls once more on the Commission to ensure financial support for the vaccination of children,
29.
targeted on urgent needs regarding vaccines combining antigens against the following diseases: diphtheria,
tetanus, whooping-cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus Influenzae type B meningitis;

30.

Insists on the need to mobilise anti-malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS research at European level;

31.
Considers that sustainable tourism income may contribute to improving the standard of living of the
population in the developing countries and to public health, as well as to communications, energy and
technology infrastructures;

32.
Calls for EU financial support for the World Tourism Organization initiative ST-EP (Sustainable Tour-
ism-Eliminating Poverty) and other initiatives that work towards alleviating poverty in developing countries;

Tourism as a factor in disturbance and abuse

Calls for the above-mentioned Global Code of Ethics for Tourism to be incorporated by all countries

33.
into their national law;

Calls on the governments of the countries concerned to circulate among themselves an annual list of

34.
visa refusals, to be confined to grounds of sex tourism offences, crimes against humanity or terrorism;

35.

Calls on the Commission to adopt effective programmes to combat sex tourism at European level;

36.

Calls, with a view to combating child sex tourism:

— on the Commission and Council to give greater priority to the fight against child sex tourism, including
in order to ensure that

restoring the budget line ‘Combating child sex tourism in third countries’
resources are dedicated to this;

— on the Commission to recognise the link between child pornography and sex tourism and ensure that

this is raised in political dialogue with third countries;

— on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that children's needs and rights are given priority
in development aid, in particular the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of children affected by sex
tourism;

37.
Encourages tour operators, travel agents and airlines who have already acted against sex tourism by
raising their clients' awareness and informing them of the legal risks they run to pursue their actions, and
calls on those who have not taken such steps to begin to do so; calls on the same operators to cooperate
with the authorities in identifying potential criminal activity;

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Calls on the Commission to implement concrete measures against tourism-related ‘dumping’ in the

38.
housing sector, after consulting the representative organisations of the sector;

Calls on the governments of the Member States to ensure that the rules applying to EU companies
39.
are fully implemented in cases of relocation to or execution of contracts in developing countries, giving
special consideration to the rights of the workers affected;

Demands that the governments of the countries concerned and EU tour operators enforce human
40.
rights standards, workers' rights in accordance with ILO core labour standards, the protection of the Euro-
pean tourist-consumer and the recommendations concerning tour operators;

41.
Calls on the governments of developing countries to introduce transparent and properly regulated
procedures for access to national markets in accordance with the recommendations of the World Tourism
Organization, as a necessary condition for all foreign investment;

42.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.

*

*

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P6_TA(2005)0338

Famine in Niger

The European Parliament,

European Parliament resolution on famine in Niger

— having regard to the UN donor appeals for food aid for Niger, amounting to USD 80,9 million,

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Niger was the world's second poorest country even before poor rains and locust invasions
devastated last year's crops, leading to an estimated third of its close to 12 million people suffering
from severe food shortages, among them 800 000 children, who are facing acute malnutrition,

B. whereas, since 1900, Niger has been afflicted by nine periods of severe drought and famine and eight

plagues of locusts,

C. whereas drought-ridden areas are also known to be conducive to the outbreak of a number of com-

municable diseases such as malaria, hepatitis, cholera, typhoid fever and diarrhoea,

D. whereas Niger's food crisis is complex, and weather patterns, food production, markets, technology,
sanitation, healthcare, education, child-rearing practices, Niger's large foreign debt and widespread
poverty all play their roles,

E. whereas, until June 2005, the government of Niger refused to distribute food rations free of charge,

F. whereas this refusal was founded on a desire not to destabilise the market and on a denial of the

importance of the crisis,