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| Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism |
10 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania
- 'Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable tourism’ was launched at
the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands. It features the Kakadu National
Park of Australia, one of 14 case studies in the publication that was formed as
a joint partnership between the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands and the UN World Tourism Organisation.
According to ‘Destination Wetlands: supporting sustainable
tourism’, international tourism is expected to reach 1 billion
international arrivals and forecast to rise to 1.8 billion by 2030.
Wetlands are a significant tourism
experience and are likely to be a key part of the expansion in demand for
tourism locations. People are naturally
attracted to water and coastal wetlands such as coral reefs and beaches and to
inland wetlands such as lakes and rivers, for the Pacific region in particular
beaches are a key selling point for tourism.
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Marine Protected Area, Chelbacheb, Palau
Photo: Stuart Chape
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“The relevance of this theme for
the Pacific is immense, during the Palau Ramsar meeting in March this year,
participants highlighted and reaffirmed the value of tourism as one of the most
important economic sectors for the region, ” said Mr. Vainuupo Jungblut, the
Oceania Ramsar Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment
Programme.
“Given the role our wetlands play
in Pacific tourism, this publication should be of interest to many of our SPREP
members, not just those that are Ramsar contracting parties.”
“Wetlands, home and destination”
is the theme of the Ramsar COP11, with Tourism and Wetlands being the special
theme of 2012. The new publication
contains references to existing guidelines on sustainable tourism as well as
many other useful materials on developing and managing sustainable
tourism. It is relevant to wetland site
managers, tourism and wetland policymakers and planners, and the private
sector.
The Kakadu National Park is
located in the Northern Territory of Australia it covers an area of nearly two
million hectares and encompasses a living Aboriginal culture, extraordinary
natural landscapes, a rich variety of plans and animals as well as rock art and
archaeological sites. In 1981 the Park
was listed as a World Heritage Area.
Tourism in Kakadu generates local
income, employment, business opportunities, services and support for cultural
traditions. It is also a significant
attraction for Australia’s international tourism. From 2007 – 2009, the Park received over
225,000 visitors per year, generating an annual economic impact of AUD 130
million directly from visitors. These
numbers then dropped to 176,000 in 2010 due to the impact of the global
economic downturn on international tourism.
Approximately 55 per cent of visitors to Kakadu National Park are
Australian residents with 45 percent being international visitors.
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| Kakadu National Park featured in publication |
“Kakadu
is is a key element in Australia's National Landscapes program which promotes
the best destinations Australia has to offer for their distinctive natural and
cultural experiences,” said Greg Manning, Head of the Australian delegation at
Ramsar COP 11.
“Kakadu National Park features a successful model of joint
management between the Aboriginal Traditional Owners and the Australian
Government's Director of National Parks. Through joint management, the
Traditional Owners work together with park staff to balance the protection of
their culture and the places that are important to them with the needs of
tourists and other stakeholders. The Traditional Owners of Kakadu are proud to
share their country with visitors.”
Palau, an Oceania contracting
party to the convention is also featured in the publication, with an image
taken during the Oceania Preparatory meeting for Ramsar COP11 while on a
kayaking tour. The image of New Zealands
booklet on 'Magical Places, 40 wetlands to visit in New Zealand' is also featured
in the publication.
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