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Ministers of Tourism from 28 countries are in Salvador, Bahia, in the Northeast region of Brazil, from December 1st until December 6, for the first annual World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development.
Participants will discuss seventeen topics related to specific countries, such as sex tourism in Thailand, the Tamar project in Brazil, which protects turtles, and the cultural heritage of Italy.
The forum is a joint initiative by the UN, the World Tourism Organization, Unesco and the UN Development Program.
It is being funded by the Hospitality Institute branch in Salvador and the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism.
Along with the forum, another event is taking place. It is a Sustainable Tourism and Childhood seminar that will run from December 2 to 4.
Participants will make the connection between the importance of ecologically-friendly tourism and childhood.
For example, during the seminar, the Brazilian government will launch its first campaign against sex tourism and the sexual exploitation of children.
At the moment, tourism is considered a priority segment of the world economy. It creates revenue of some US$ 3.5 trillion annually worldwide, the equivalent of 10% of the world's GDP.
In Brazil, 3.9 million foreign tourists left US$ 2.3 billion in the country during the first nine months of this year. During the first eight months of the year, domestic airlines carried 20.1 million passengers.
Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett
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