Photo: Twitter/UNWTO
To determine the status of rural tourism in its Member States and identify the main challenges and opportunities of tourism as a driver for rural development from a policy perspective, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has launched a new report tagged “Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective – Results of the UNWTO Survey on Tourism for Rural Development to Member States”.
The report was launched during the 118th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
This report, which represents the first baseline document of UNWTO on tourism and rural development with the participation of Member States worldwide forms part of the organisation’s established objective to develop initiatives and programmes in order to grow the sector in size and relevance, as well as to monitor it in destinations worldwide.
Some of highlights of the report are:
• 59% of all Member States stated that rural tourism is a priority.
• 96% Member States foresee a better future for rural tourism in the upcoming years.
• The creation of new jobs, improvement of livelihoods and fighting depopulation were the most frequently cited opportunities offered by tourism for rural areas.
• Member States identified the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage and environmental protection as among the biggest potential benefits of rural tourism.
The report also identified three main challenges associated with stimulating rural development through tourism:
• The infrastructure gaps in rural areas such as deficiencies in roads, ports, airports and other infrastructure that allow access to rural areas remain a challenge for the surveyed countries.
• Rural depopulation. Seasonality and farming product competitiveness add to this challenge, increasing the instability of rural businesses, which prevents the retention of population and human resources.
• Lack of education and training as well as skills development in addition to the capacity to attract and retain workforce talent.
Other challenges include limitations in accessing financial systems, restrictions in the development of innovative tourism products in rural areas, managing the impacts of degradation of natural resources, and limitations in handling data, digitisation, and knowledge management.
On how tourism can help in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNWTO Member States underscored the potential of rural tourism for advancing SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).