The current health crisis linked to the novel coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic, which has inflicted phenomenal damage on tourism, could constitute a decisive turning point for this sector and a shift towards greater sustainability and inclusiveness, particularly for rural areas.
Indeed, tourism plays a vital role in these areas, particularly in terms of boosting the local economy and creating employment opportunities, which requires the mobilization of significant support for rural communities who continue to suffer in silence due to the implementation of travel restrictions aimed at coping with covid-19.
This support becomes essential and urgent when the scenarios of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on the impact of this pandemic suggest a fall in the number of international tourist arrivals of 60 to 80% in 2020.
This UN institution also predicts that “domestic tourism will resume before international tourism”, which “could benefit rural communities, in particular by protecting livelihoods and stimulating local economies”.
And it is in this context that UNWTO has chosen the theme “tourism and rural development” to celebrate World Tourism Day (WTD) 2020.
This theme “is of particular interest in the context of the unprecedented crisis that we are facing”, underlined the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, in a message published on this occasion.
“Tourism has proven to play a vital role for many rural communities. However, it is not yet fully expressed in all its strength. The sector is not only an important provider of jobs, particularly for women and young people. It is also a vector of territorial cohesion and socio-economic inclusion for the most vulnerable regions,” he argued.
Mr. Pololikashvili further noted that tourism helps rural populations maintain their unique natural and cultural heritage by supporting conservation projects, particularly the safeguarding of endangered species or forgotten traditions and flavors.
He indicated that the covid-19 pandemic has paralyzed the planet. “Our sector is among the hardest hit and millions of jobs are at risk. As we work together to restart tourism, we must live up to our responsibility to ensure that the benefits of tourism are shared by all. »
In this sense, the UNWTO SG argued that this crisis is an opportunity to rethink the tourism sector and the contribution it makes to humanity and the planet, and to do better by taking the turn towards more sustainable, more inclusive and more resilient tourism.
“Placing rural development at the heart of tourism policies by focusing on education, investment, innovation and technology can transform the livelihoods of millions of people and preserve our environment and our culture,” he said.
A cross-cutting sector par excellence, tourism contributes directly or indirectly to all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mr. Pololikashvili also noted.
With tourism serving rural development, the global community will stay on course to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, our great ambition for humanity and the planet, he added.
And to conclude: “As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), the time has come to truly harness the colossal potential of tourism, including its unrivaled capacity to be a driver of rural development, in support of our commitment to leave no one behind.”
In Morocco, losses in the tourism sector stood at 18.3 billion dirhams (billion dirhams) at the end of the first seven months of this year, representing a drop in revenue of 44.1%, according to the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) under the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Administration Reform.
In July, the month when the summer season reaches its peak, the decline in these receipts was 90.1%, while tourist arrivals and overnight stays in classified accommodation establishments fell by 63.5% and 59.1% respectively in the first half of 2020.
To deal with this alarming situation and mitigate this fall, a program contract of 21 measures, covering the period from 2020 to 2022, was signed on August 3, bringing together public and private actors at the national and regional level to return to pre-crisis performance.
Designed around three main axes, namely maintaining jobs and preserving the economic fabric, stimulating demand and structural transformation of the sector, this program contract aims to give a strong boost to tourism and instill a new dynamic to support its recovery and guarantee the diversification of its value chain.
source:leseco.ma
