Vatican releases message for World Tourism Day 2017
 |
| Tourists flock to the Trevi fountain in Rome as the Vatican releases message for World Tourism Day 2017.- REUTERS |
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of
the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has released a
message for World Tourism Day 2017, which will be held on 27 September.
The theme chosen for this year is: “Sustainable tourism: a
tool for development”.
We bring you the official English-language version
below:
“Sustainable Tourism – a tool for development”
1. On the annual occasion of World Tourism Day, celebrated
every 27 September 2017, the Church joins civil society in addressing this
phenomenon, in the conviction that every genuinely human activity must find its
place in the hearts of Christ’s disciples [1].
For the first time, this message is issued by the new
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as part of its mission.
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2017
the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Opportunely, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has followed in the same
vein by choosing Sustainable Tourism: a tool for development as the
theme for this year’s Day.
2. When we say tourism, we are talking about a phenomenon of
major importance, both in light of the number of people involved (travellers
and workers) and for the many benefits that it can bring to society (economic,
cultural and social), but also given the risks and dangers that it can create
in many areas.
According to the World Tourism Organization’s latest
Barometer, for the year 2016, the number of international tourist arrivals is
around 1.2 billion. Worldwide, the sector accounts for 10% of GDP and 7% of
total exports, also considering that 1 out of 11 jobs are in tourism. It
therefore occupies an important place in the economies of individual states and
in policies that focus on inclusive development and environmental
sustainability globally.
3. 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”, as the Encyclical Populorum progressio
[2] notes. In this regard, Paul VI stressed the need to promote a
“full-bodied humanism”, including the material and spiritual needs for the full
development of each person in dignity [3]. Twenty years later, in 1987, the UN
introduced the concept of sustainable development as a development that “meets
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs” [4]. For the Church, the concept of integrality, when
connected to the expression 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 [5]. This means that it must be responsible, and not destructive or
detrimental to the environment nor to the socio-cultural context of the
locality. Moreover, it 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: 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.
In its 2017 Resolution, the United Nations 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” [6]. 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 is
therefore 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.
4. Conscious that “in all her being and actions, the Church
is called to promote the integral development of the human person in the light
of the Gospel” [7], we Christians want to offer our contribution so that
tourism can assist in the development of peoples, especially the most
disadvantaged. We therefore propose our reflection. We recognize God as the
creator of the universe and father of all human beings, and He who makes us
brothers. We must put the human person as the focus of our attention; we
recognize the dignity of each person and the relationships among persons; we
must share the principle of the common destiny of the human family and the
universal destination of earthly goods. The human being acts not as a master,
but as a “responsible steward” [8]. In acknowledging each other as brothers, we
will understand “the principle of gratuitousness and the logic of gift” [9] and
our duties of solidarity, justice and universal charity [10].
We now ask ourselves: how can these principles be
practically applied to the development of tourism? What are the consequences
for tourists, entrepreneurs, workers, governors, and local communities? It is
an open reflection. We invite all those involved in the sector to engage in
serious discernment and to promote practices towards attaining this,
accompanying behaviours and lifestyle changes towards a new way of relating to
each other.
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 [11].
In his address to the United Nations, Pope Francis stated:
“The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations
of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness
of every human life, of every man and every woman [...]. This common home of
all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain
sacredness of created nature”[12]. May we live out our commitment in the light
of these words and these intentions!
Vatican City, 29 June 2017
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
Prefect
Prefect
________________________________________
[1] Council II, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et
spes, 7 December 1965, no. 1.
[2] Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Populorum progressio,
26 March 1967, no. 14.
[3] Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Populorum progressio,
26 March 1967, no. 42.
[4] World Commission On Environment and
Development, Our Common Future (also known as the Brundtland Report),
August 1987. This Commission was created by the UN General Assembly in 1983.
[5] World Tourism Organisation, The Hague
Declaration on Tourism, 10-14 April 1989, Principle III.
[6] United Nations Organization, Resolution
A/RES/70/193 approved by the General Assembly on 22 December 2015.
[7] Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter Humanam
progressionem in the form of a ‘Motu Proprio’, with which the Dicastery
for Promoting Integral Human Development was established, 17 August 2016.
[8] Pope Francis, Encyclical Laudato si’, 24 May
2015, no. 116.
[9] Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in
veritate, 29 June 2009, no. 36.
[10] Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Populorum progressio,
26 March 1967, no. 44.
[11] Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium, 24 November 2013, no. 167.
[12] Pope Francis, Address to the members of the
General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, 25 September 2015.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét