TRM 4311

The Role of IOs in Tourism

This review is based on notes of Dr. Maria Alvarez and TRM 431 student presentations.

TRM 4312

International Organizations in a world of paradoxes

Paradox 1: The insistence upon state sovereignty, supremacy and independence in a shrinking, interdependent world.

Each state declares the right to determine its own course of action, regardless of the effects upon the other states, and at the same time is increasingly dependent upon the actions of other states in vital areas of mutual concern such as trade, communications, economic development and world peace.

Even though increasingly there are many problems which are international and common to many countries, because states insist on their sovereignty and right to make their own decisions, only when high coincidence of interests occurs can agreements be reached.

TRM 4313

International Organizations in a world of paradoxes

Paradox 2: Increasing nationalism in an increasingly global world.

For newly emergent states, nation building is the primary concern and they emphasize nationalism. Older states emphasize national security issues, economic interests and prestige. But at the same time we are seeing that increasingly the world is becoming more global and that what occurs in one state affects other states.(ex: we have mentioned the risk of nationalism in Russia in return for NATO expansion)

TRM 4314

International Organizations in a world of paradoxes

Paradox 3: The separation of international and domestic concerns.

As the world shrinks through the effects of technology and communications, the line between domestic and international problems becomes increasingly blurred.

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The UN System

The IMF, World Bank and other independent organizations are known as specialized agencies linked to the UN by cooperative agreements. Some of these are older than the UN (Ex: ILO, Universal Postal Union).

These organizations have an autonomous and independent status inside of the UN, and can not be affected or pressured by other UN organs and institutions. ???

TRM 4316

The UN System

There are a number of UN offices, programmes and funds work to improve economic and social condition of people around the world.

Ex: UNDP, UN Children’s Fund.

These are set-up for specific problems or issues, but they are not totally independent from the UN.

 

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UNDP

UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015.

UNDP’s focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:

Democratic Governance Poverty Reduction Crisis Prevention and Recovery Environment and Energy HIV/AIDS

TRM 4318

UNDP

"The fact is that globalization, the global market economy delivers to the upper half; it doesn't really deliver to the poor people. In some cities in the developing world, you have 50 percent of young people unemployed. So the challenge is huge and we have to focus on it.

At the UNDP, that's what we try to do. We try to find the right solutions, try to compare what worked in some places to what didn't work in other places, and build and bring capacity development to these countries”. Kemal Deviş, UNDP Administrator

TRM 4319

The UN System

All these organizations have their own governing bodies, budgets and secretariats. Increasingly these specialized agencies, funds and programs are pooling their resources for various purposes.

Ex: The Global Environmental Facility, a $5 billion fund, is administered by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the World Bank, to help developing countries carry out environmental programmes.

TRM 43110

UN: The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The mission of the ECOSOC is to promote the welfare of all peoples everywhere. It coordinates the economic and social work of the United Nations and the UN family (specialize agencies and UN programs) and it provides a central forum for discussing economic and social issues and for formulating policy recommendations. It consults with NGOs, maintaining the link between the UN and the civil society.

The following include some topics for the ECOSOC: human rights, refugees, economic and social development, culture, education, health, food supply, trade and transportation, population, narcotic drugs, housing, labour conditions, communications, etc.

 

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ECOSOC

The functions of the ECOSOC are:

1.      Deliberation and recommendation

2.      Research and reports

3.      Coordination.

TRM 43112

INTERNATIONAL

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

NGOs are private, voluntary, non-profit organizations whose members combine their skills, means and energies in the service of shared ideals and objectives.

NGOs are very diverse. Some deal with topics such as human rights, environmental protection, humanitarian relief, etc., with the aim to protect the whole of human society.

Other NGOs represent limited groups (ex: industries, religious sects, etc.). Some NGOs are independent of government or private interests, whereas others are not so independent.

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The Rising Importance of NGOs

Recently, NGOs have started to acquire more importance due to: 1.      Growth of citizen organizations at all levels of society. There

is a move towards a greater democratization and development. This in turn leads to the greater participation of citizens in the economy and political environment. An increasing number of organizations are created by these empowered citizens.

2.      The need for action on global problems. There is a growing realization that national governments by themselves can not cope with the increasing number of global problems. This has resulted on a move towards “global governance”.

3.      Breakthroughs in communication technologies have caused the immediate and direct contact of individuals and their organizations anywhere in the world.

TRM 43114

NGOs in Tourism

Promotion of Industry Interests

Addressing Environmental and

Social Issues

• Sustainable Development

• Environmental Protection

• Preserve Cultural Heritage

• Peace and Security

• Equal Access (rights) for all travelers

• Monitoring decisions that may affect the industry,

• Lobbying (direct/indirect)

• Setting standards

• Regulating members

ex: TTYD, Association of Independent Tour Operators

World Association of Travel Agents

Providing Data and Advice

1

21 3

• Support planning

• Conducting studies

• Providing consultants

ex: International Centre of Responsible Tourism,

World Travel & Tourism Council

TRM 43115

Organisation for Safety and Security in Tourism (OSST)

Provides a review of the expansion of the concept of security and the relationship of security to tourism.

Despite the damage done to the concept of collective security because of the United States led invasion of Iraq, the development of common security structures through collective, multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations remains important for the expansion of security concerns to cover the environment, health and economic threats.

TRM 43116

The Role of Tourism in IR

Tourism is as much part of foreign policy as a commercial activity. It is a component of International Relations:

-         The encouragement of travel flows between nations may be evidence of a positive political relationship (ex: States inside European Union). Or the absence might indicate political tension. (ex: Turkey and Greece)

-         Travel flows between nations encourage economic interdependence (ex Turkey-Germany, Greece-UK).

-         Tourism can serve as a force for peace. The greater contact between nations, the greater the international understanding.

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European Monetary Union

The establishment of the European Monetary Union (EMU) and the introduction of the Euro represented a further step in the process of economic integration within the European Union (EU).

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Effects of the EMU on Tourism

1. Increase of intra-European travel due to the ease of moving from one EU country to another without having to change currencies. This will facilitate the positioning of European tourism destinations as “Destination Europe”.

2. At the same time, the EU consumer will be able to easily compare prices in different member countries directly. This may eventually strengthen competition and cause prices to fall. After the introduction of euro notes and coins, European tourists traveling within the Eurozone no longer have the problem of left-over cash.

3. The disappearance of foreign exchange commissions for persons traveling within the Eurozone will stimulate mobility. Savings made on transaction costs may lead to higher travel budgets.

TRM 43119

Effects of the EMU on Tourism

  4. For third countries receiving European tourists it is expected that they will increasingly deal in euros rather than dollars.

5. Tourist operators can also benefit from the elimination of a great part of foreign exchange risks due to the elimination of exchange rate fluctuations within the Eurozone. On the other hand, the travel agents will loose the revenue previously obtained from foreign exchange transactions.

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Specialized international regimes

In some areas, governments have developed specialized global institutions operating under specific rules for each service.

 Example: Air transport is ruled at the international level under the fundamental principle that each country is sovereign of its own air space and nothing happens in that space without its permission. Notwithstanding this principle, firms have been allowed to form the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and governments have formed an International Aviation Organization (ICAO). These institutions provide rules for the allocation of routes, setting of prices, safety regulations, etc.

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The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

The leading international organisation in tourism. It has a role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of the developing countries.

160 members countries’ more than 350 Affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

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UNWTO

UNWTO has regional representatives in Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia based at the Headquarters in Madrid.

Actions that strengthen and support the efforts of National Tourism Administrations are carried out by the regional representatives.

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The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

The Organization encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

The Code sets a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. There are ten principles defining the roles of various parties.(Gov, tour operators, tourist..)

World Tourism Organization believes that the Code is needed to help minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and on cultural heritage while maximizing the benefits for residents of tourism destinations.

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The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

UNWTO is committed to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, geared toward reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development. It has special programs targeted for achieving these goals.

One such example is the Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) program. It grew out of the World Summit made in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.

The implementation of the project started in 2005 in the village of Ebogo in Cameroon. Since then the number of projects have expanded.