Strasbourg, 13/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday of last week, the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report by a huge majority (as reported in EUROPE 9025) by Thierry Cornillet (ALDE, France) on tourism and development. In it, MEPs point out that for the developing world, tourism is not only good for the economy, but also for democracy, the environment, health and education, as long as tourism revenue is redistributed among the local population. Local entrepreneurs have a vital role to play here for the development of tourism in their local region, explains the report. To demonstrate to European consumers that their visits are genuinely contributing to the development of the region and ensure high ethical standards, the MEPs urge Member States and the European Commission to introduce a European label certifying Fair Tourism. Since tourism can also play a role in the democratisation of a region and help combat totalitarian states, the MEPs regret recent measures taken by Cuba to prevent personal contact between tourists and Cubans working in the tourist industry. With regard to the environment, the MEPs think tourism should be seen as an ally rather than an enemy since preserving heritage and the environment is a criteria for profitable tourism. They call for the EU to give technical aid to countries which are the destination of package tours and have to take measures to preserve their tourist sites, and to organise an exchange of good practice in this domain. They also want European investment in the tourist industry of developing countries to be subject to the same rules as EU investment in the EU, and for the rejection of investment that would clearly damage human rights, the environment, minimum working conditions, the lifestyle of indigenous populations and cultural and historical heritage. Anxious to ensure fair and sustainable development, the MEPs warn governments and the European Commission about the deleterious impact of tourism, urging them to remedy it. They urge the Commission, Council and Member States, for example, to take rapid and tangible measures to counter child sex tourism by paedophiles and to ensure the issue is raised in political dialogue with third countries to ensure they provide care and rehabilitation for the child victims in the framework of EU development aid. The MEPs also urge the European Commission to implement concrete measures to combat 'real estate dumping' in tourist locations. More generally, the want European governments and the tourist industry to ensure human rights and workers' rights are respected.
In his address to the plenary, European Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said he shared the European Parliament's concerns regarding the need to train local specialists, saying the Commission had always favoured this. He said the Commission would do its utmost to combat the scourge of sex tourism. Louis Michel said that in terms of investment in developing countries' tourist industries, the Commission could carry out studies to assess the positive and negative potential of specific Directorate General for Tourism at the European Commission.