In his message published on the occasion of World Tourism Day, Ahmet Savaşan, President of the Cyprus Health Tourism Council, emphasized that all relevant parties need to make an effective change in policies and business practices that can be interpreted as a more sustainable tourism sector.
In his message, Ahmet Savaşan reminded that the UN General Assembly declared 2017 as the Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and underlined that the concept of sustainable tourism is an understanding of travel that offers a way to encourage the development of both social and economic activities without harming the natural, social, historical and cultural environment and said, ’In order for this understanding to prevail in Northern Cyprus, it is an important need for tourism to become a state policy and for this policy to be supported by the sector.“.
NATIONAL TOURISM LAGS FAR BEHIND IN SUSTAINABILITY...
Explaining that 2017 was chosen to raise awareness among decision-makers and the public about the contribution of sustainable tourism to development by mobilizing all stakeholders to work together to catalyze positive change worldwide, Savşan underlined that despite many positive developments in tourism in recent years, Northern Cyprus is still far behind this point.
DÜNYA GSYİH’SİNİN %10’U TURİZMDEN…
Geçtiğimiz birkaç on yılda, turizm sektörünün diğer sektörlerle birlikte ekonomik kalkınma ve iş yaratmada önemli bir gücü olduğunu gösterdine vurgu yapan Savaşan,Dünya’ya bakıldığında turizm gelirlerinin yıllık 1,260 milyar doları aştığını görüyoruz. Bu gün Dünya GSYİH’sinin %10’unu, küresel ticaretin %7’sini ve istihdamın 1/11’ini temsil eden turizm günümüzde ana sosyoekonomik sektörlerden biri haline gelmiştir” diyerek, her yıl sınır ötesine seyahat eden 1,2 milyardan fazla insanla birlikte turizmin, kültürlerarası diyalog, toplumsal kapsayıcılık, barış, uzlaşma ve sürdürülebilir kalkınma için de önemli bir güç olduğunun altını çizdi.
HIGHEST GROWTH SINCE 2010...
Referring to the “World Tourism Barometer” report published quarterly by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which includes information on international tourist arrivals, tourism revenues and expenditures, Savaşan stated that in the first half of 2017, world tourism showed the highest growth performance in terms of tourist numbers since 2010.
MOST GROWTH IN THE MIDDLE EAST...
Stating that in the first six months of the year, tourism destinations around the world hosted approximately 598 million tourists, Savaşan said that the total number of tourists increased by approximately 36 million compared to the same period last year. Pointing out that the strongest growth performance has been achieved since 2010 on a half-year basis with an increase of 6 percent, Savaşan pointed out that the highest growth on a regional basis was seen in the tourism destinations in the Middle East with 9 percent, followed by Europe and Africa with 8 percent growth, Asia-Pacific with 6 percent and North America, South America and Caribbean regions with 3 percent.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN TURKEY IS PLEASING...
Stating that according to the economic and social indicators report published by the State Planning Organization in 2017, 1,483,244 passengers (1,110,795 from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and 372,449 from other countries) came to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 2015, Savaşan stated that there was a %8.6 increase in the number of passengers in 2015 compared to 2014. Underlining that the TRNC's total foreign exchange revenues were around 1,776 million USD in 2015 and that almost half of these revenues were obtained from tourism (698 million USD), Ahmet Savaşan also pointed out that the recent announcement by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment for the years 2016 and 2017 that a visible increase was achieved in the number of passengers arriving in the country, occupancy rates, the number of tourists staying in touristic facilities and the number of overnight stays was pleasing.
RUM ATTITUDES ARE FAR FROM PEACEFUL...
Referring to the recent ban imposed by the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus on tourists crossing to the TRNC using Greek Cypriot territory to stay in hotels in Northern Cyprus, Savaşan stated that what is done to tourists at the border gates is a violation of human rights. Stating that tourism feeds on peace, Savaşan underlined that the Greeks have shown to the whole world at every opportunity that this and similar attitudes of the Greeks are far from peacefulness.
CONSUMER NEEDS HAVE CHANGED...
At the end of his message, Savaşan underlined that it is a positive development that the increase in tourism in the world is parallel to the increase in our country and said, “It is estimated that touristic destinations will host 1.8 billion visitors in 2030. In this new period, where the sector is diversifying with new destinations and source markets, the impact of technology is increasing, and the patterns of consumer needs are changing, especially in the search for authenticity and experience, it is inevitable that all relevant parties will undergo an effective change in policies and business practices that can be interpreted as a more sustainable tourism sector, not only today or in the last quarter of the year, but also in the years to come.’.
http://www.kibrispostasi.com/savasan-surdurulebilir-kalkinma-icin-hep-beraber-calismaliyi
