POLILLO, Quezon, June 22 — Around PHP 50 million are being used to conduct the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference in Manila, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Thursday.
“For the whole conduct of the conference itself, we were provided by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the amount of PHP 50 million and we were also able to secure some support from our partners,” DOT Undersecretary for Administration and Special Concerns Ronaldo Canizal said in a press conference.
The conference, which runs from June 21 to 23, serves as a venue to discuss policy initiatives on the importance of developing a statistical framework to measure sustainable tourism worldwide.
It also became a gathering for foreign tourism ministers and other officials from around the globe.
On the second day of the conference, UNWTO officials visited Balesin Island Club in Polillo, Quezon for a familiarization tour to see firsthand how top destinations in the Philippines practice sustainable tourism.
UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, in a press conference, lauded Balesin Island Club for its commitment to implement its own sustainable tourism program through aquaculture and agribusiness.
He, meanwhile, pointed out that to become a sustainable tourist destination, a country should not curb its growth or make short its development bur rather strike a balance between the two.
“I believe that this island is walking the talk,” Rifai said, referring to Balesin Island Club.
“Sustainability comes from the world sustain and sustain means keep alive. We’re sustaining life, keeping it going because we cannot afford to have any setbacks for our future,” he added.
In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, UNWTO Director for Asia and the Pacific noted that sustainability meant “going beyond the narrow concept of being green and being environmentally friendly.”
“…When we talk about sustainability it is in addition to these green concepts. It is about whether you want to ruin your cultural identify, whether you want to give international tourists good time at the cost of ruining local culture and resources and at the cost of not giving economic benefits to the local communities,” Jing said.
He said that some issues such as plans to build theme parks in Coron, Palawan, could not exactly destroy the environment as long as there was “a balanced approach to sustainability.”
“…You need to get economic viability before you can talk about social sustainability. Without the money it’s equally unsustainable. What we need is to look at sustainability in a balanced approach,” Jing said.
“Yes, of course we need to protect the planet but without the economic income how do we conserve and preserve the environment? About environment protection and social responsibility, it is not a zero some game. One should not replace the other. Economic growth is not the enemy of environmental protection,” he added. (Azer N. Parrocha/PNA)
