Korea spreads benefits of tourism across globe

By Yu In-chon

The tourism industry is garnering attention as an “industry without chimneys” that will lead green growth, and as an alternative industry that can resolve the issue of “jobless growth” by creating decent, sustainable jobs.

Accounting for 6 to 7 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), traveling and tourism have become a key industry for the world economy and are generating 75 million jobs across the globe. As a key source of export earnings, they occupy 30 percent (around an annual $1 trillion) of global service exports.

From an international perspective, the tourism industry leads to economic benefits for advanced countries as well as developing nations and less developed countries.

It creates jobs and lays the foundation for economic growth and advancement in less-developed countries, thus performing a critical role in the “global eradication of poverty.”

Based on such economic influence, the tourism industry has been considerably contributing to the overcoming of the global economic crisis, a major financial concern, during the last two years.

Against the backdrop of increased worldwide interest in the “sustainable, balanced growth of the world economy,” there has been a steady rise in interest in the tourism industry.

The T20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was created to discuss the direction of future development based on the recognition of the strengthened stature of the tourism industry. The 1st T20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in February 2010.

The theme of the first meeting was “Travel and Tourism: Stimuli for the World Economy.” The tourism ministers of the G20 countries engaged in lively discussions on what kind of synergy effects can be generated between efforts in the tourism sector and international economic cooperation activities.

The meeting resulted in the announcement of a joint communique on future implementation measures.

The 2nd T20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting will go a step further from the outcome of the first meeting and will be held with the theme “Tourism, Key Driver of Shared Growth.”

Meaningful discussions will take place on the roles of T20 for economic recovery and development as well as joint implementation methods, sharing economic prosperity through tourism, strengthening the roles of tourism for the realization of a green economy, and promoting and supporting the economic growth of less developed countries through tourism.

In August 2008, the Korean government announced its vision of “low-carbon and green growth.” It is implementing a wide array of policies to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism industry as a key national growth driver.

Examples are policies that involve strengthening the national brand, designating the period from 2010 through 2012 as the “Visit Korea Year,” and executing such green tourism projects as the four major river restoration project.

They say that the 21st century has moved beyond the era of selling products and has entered the era of “selling culture.”

I am certain that the T20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting will reaffirm that tourism is an industry, which brings together people together from countries all across the globe through personnel exchange and by using culture as a brand.

Moving forward, the Korean government will make increased efforts as a leader of “global tourism and economic development” and take the lead in international cooperation to this end.

I hope to see the 2nd T20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting result in the identification of practical measures that will enable continued prosperity and cooperation of not only the T20 countries but the entire global community.