International Trade Forum - Volume 2017, Issue 1, 2017

For many small developing countries, tourism is a major income earner. A growing number of the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) focus countries – smallisland developing states, small vulnerable economies, and least developed countries – regard the tourism sector as an important contributor to GDP and job creation, and as a platform for better developing backward and forward linkages in their economies. After all, worldwide tourism accounts for close to 10% of GDP, equivalent to around US$7.5 trillion, and is responsible for one in 11 jobs. The importance of tourism is also reflected in several of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and recognized as a crucial tool in the global community’s effort to eliminate extreme poverty.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, more than 1.2 billion people travelled in 2015. A number that keeps growing. Whereas only a few decades ago, international tourism was largely reserved for the rich, travel has become ‘cheap’ and anyone can today board a plane to visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, take a selfie on the Great Wall in Beijing, or eat Baklava in Istanbul’s Bazaar.

Glaring gaps in prosperity worldwide have prompted a growing consensus that economic growth must benefit all socioeconomic segments of the population. Putting an end to inequality hinges on, in part, access to employment or business opportunities for the world’s poorest but achieving this goal is one of the biggest policy challenges facing governments, corporations and civil society leaders. Whether it is broadband access or daycare options, we need to identify the ideas that will achieve inclusive growth in the developing world.

Against a backdrop of anti-globalization sentiment, shuttered regional trade pacts and shifting geopolitics, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) flies in the face of the current news cycle. However, the global trade deal that went live 22 February will smooth customs procedures and cut related red tape. Here’s what is in the deal and what it means for you and for global trade.

Tourism is the fastest-growing and one of the most dynamic economic sectors worldwide, accounting for roughly 30% of global trade in services. It ranked third as a worldwide export category in 2015, after fuels and chemicals and ahead of food and automotive products.

We definitely live in the ‘Era of Travel’, a time in which tourism has become a pillar of our economies and our societies. International tourist arrivals reached a new record in 2016: 1.2 billion. Back in 1950 only 25 million people were travelling internationally. By the year 2030 we will register around 1.8 billion international tourist arrivals.

Norway has in recent years taken a range of steps towards building a more sustainable tourism industry and at Innovation Norway we are proud to take part in the United Nations’ 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development as one of its Gold Partners.

Sustainable tourism is about re-focusing and adapting in the quest to strike a balance between limits and usage. This requires long-term thinking, often over decades, and realizing that change is often cumulative, gradual and irreversible.

It was the National Geographic’s Wild channel that first brought the world close to the lion kings of Akagera National Park with a compelling tale of survival and territory. Through television sets, people from Norway to Thailand got to witness Rwanda’s ground-breaking conservation success story: the return of lions to the verdant lands after a 15-year absence, with their numbers doubling in number in just one year.

Towards the end of each year, hundreds of thousands of people escape dark, cold, rainy winters in Europe and North America for a break in sunny South Africa.

Global trade is suffering due to a trade slowdown, political changes that no doubt we have all been following and an increase in anti-globalization measures, particularly those that inhibit trade.

Earlier this year the Gambia celebrated when a new, democratically elected government led by President Adama Barrow took power. This seismic shift brought with it hopes and optimism among Gambians for a better and more sustainable future. However, building the new Gambia will be an uphill task requiring international support. One key challenge is to re-connect the Gambia with international markets to ensure economic growth and create jobs, particularly for the youth that make up 60% of the population.

One of the biggest sustainability challenges faced by a development project is how to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders in the field so that initiatives can be continued and replicated post-project. Another challenge, particularly in post-conflict situations, is how to nurture trust.