Vatican supports sustainable tourism

Cardinal Peter Turkson

Promotes integral human development, initiates sustainable tourism projects

For the first time, the Vatican has released a tourism-related message by Cardinal Peter Turkson of the new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development  as part of its mission.

It says that tourism can be an important tool for growth and the fight against poverty. Nevertheless, according to the Church’s social doctrine, true development "cannot be restricted to economic growth alone". In fact, "to be authentic, it must be well rounded"; that is, "it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man".

For the Church, the concept of integrality, when connected to t human development, also includes the United Nations’ idea of sustainability, and embraces all aspects of life: social, economic, political, cultural, and spiritual, making them elements in a single synthesis, the human person.

The UNWTO has applied these ideas to promoting sustainable tourism. This means that it must be responsible, and not destructive or detrimental to the environment nor to the socio-cultural context of the locality.

The Vatican message avers that tourism must be particularly respectful of the population and their heritage, with a view to safeguarding personal dignity and labour rights, especially those of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

Holiday time cannot be a pretext either for irresponsibility or for exploitation says the Vatican message, in fact, it is a noble time in which everyone can add value to one’s own life and that of others. Sustainable tourism is also a development tool for economies in difficulty if it becomes a vehicle of new opportunities and not a source of problems.

The Vatican supports the United Nations resolution that recognizes "the important role of sustainable tourism as a positive instrument towards the eradication of poverty, the protection of the environment, the improvement of quality of life and the economic empowerment of women and youth and its contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable development, especially in developing countries"  

In this sense, three dimensions of sustainability are promoted: the ecological, aiming for the maintenance of ecosystems; the social, which develops in harmony with the host community; and the economic, which stimulates inclusive growth.

In the context of Agenda 2030, this International Year http://www.tourism4development2017.org/   is  an opportunity to encourage governments to adopt appropriate policies, the industry to embrace good practice, and to raise awareness among consumers and local people, highlighting how an integral conception of tourism can contribute to sustainable development.

The Church is making its own contribution, launching initiatives that really place tourism in the service of the integral development of the person. This is why we talk about tourism with a human touch, which is based on projects of community tourism, cooperation, solidarity, and an appreciation of the great artistic heritage which is an authentic way of beauty.

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle

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