Tourism ‘must respect’ the environment

This year’s World Tourism Day on September 27 has been linked to the theme of biodiversity, highlighting the importance of the environment in the industry.

“Biodiversity is an intrinsic aspect of the environment and the environment is an intrinsic aspect of tourism,” Tourism and Environment Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco insisted at the launch of the programme of World Tourism Day activities yesterday.

Responsible tourism meant the industry was not about speculation but that it had to respect the environment, Dr de Marco said, stressing that it would be a crucial mistake for the industry to put a strain on the environment.

Dr de Marco said boasting about tourism figures would be puerile and he preferred to focus on the long term and the challenges the industry presented to the island.

This year’s figures could match the 1.3 million tourists of record year 2008 but while stakeholders wanted to increase these numbers further, Dr de Marco said their impact on the environment was rarely questioned.

He wondered whether it was time to make mandatory the eco-labels introduced for hotels and questioned whether development was putting Malta’s unique species at risk. Dr de Marco said it made sense to turn historical buildings in village cores into boutique hotels to entice visitors to these forgotten locations that had much to offer and to regenerate disused properties. If done sensibly and carefully, it could really work, he said, referring to a recent application by foreigners to turn a historical building in Cospicua into a guest house, an initiative that should be encouraged.

Hotels were too concentrated in the tourism zones, he said, pointing out that the idea was to spread the industry’s benefits – not its mistakes – elsewhere.

The World Tourism Day events, which kick off on Sunday until September 28, include about 16 activities, with the involvement of 12 NGOs and other entities. The activities range from country walking tours to exhibitions and documentaries, open days at museums, with reduced admission fees, and snorkelling and bird-watching sessions. Biodiversity has been highlighted this year by both the World Tourism Organisation and the United Nations to raise awareness about its conservation in the world’s fragile eco-systems.

Celebrating World Tourism Day with this theme should arouse reflection on what was wanted from tourism, where it was going, its impact on the environment and the future challenges, Dr de Marco said.