Bangalore: With international tourist arrivals the world over touching 808 million in 2005 and expected to touch 1.5 billion by 2020, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is concerned about the fallout of the movement of such a large number of people on social, cultural, environmental and other aspects.

To deliberate upon the impact of such travel and frame guidelines for ethical practices in the tourism industry, the World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE) of the UNWTO is meeting in Bangalore on June 2 and 3. The fourth annual meeting of the committee is being held for the first time in Asia.

David de Villiers, Special Adviser to the UNWTO Secretary-General, told presspersons here on Thursday that the shift in international travel to Asian and African countries was putting pressure on airports, the environment, and cultural and social aspects. The meeting would discuss tourist safety and security, overbooking, media ethics and so on. It would also discuss setting up a task force to protect children from sexual exploitation and a proposal for the establishment of an advisory body to the committee, he said.

The meeting would also work towards drafting implementation parameters for the Global Code of Ethics and Tourism (GCET), the promotion at national and international levels of information and action by the public and private sectors relating to the application of the GCET.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Taieb Rifai, said that by the end of 2005, receipts from international tourism amounted to 500 billion euros. Though Europe contributed substantially to this, growth had been much faster from the markets of Africa, Asia and West Asia. This entailed enormous responsibilities on stakeholders and the GCET would come in handy for the purpose.

The GCET is a set of principles whose purpose is to guide stakeholders in tourism development, central and local governments, local communities and the tourism industry.

Capt. C.P.K. Nair, Chairman of Leela Palace and Resorts and India member of the WCTE, said it was an honour for the Leela Palace to host the meeting. India had a lot to learn from the practices in developed countries where tourism had contributed substantially.

State Tourism Secretary I.M. Vittala Murthy said that though international arrivals in India were on the rise, the figures were negligible on the world map. Efforts had to be made to improve infrastructure and marketing and the general hospitality sector, he added.

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