The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has published a report on the 1st International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Djerba, Tunisia, 9-11 April 2003.
According to WTO, more than 150 participants from 42 countries and six international organizations took part in the conference.
26 presentations were delivered by experts of UN, public and private sector, NGO and academic institutions on the specific interrelations of climate change and tourism. The Conference especially focused on climate change related impacts on water resources, at coastal and island destinations, as well as mountain areas. A specific session was also dedicated to policy and mitigation issues.
As a result of the Conference, the ‘Djerba Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism’ was prepared through consultation with the participants. The Declaration recognizes that “climate change impacts are already occurring at some tourism destinations and the effects are expected to spread in the future and, consequently, there is a need for adaptation and mitigation measures, among
others”. It includes a series of recommendations for international organizations, government and private sector agencies for collaborative actions at the international, national and local destination levels.
The Final Report of the Conference, the Djerba Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism, as well as the various documents presented at the Conference are available at:
http://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/climate/brochure.htm
