- Tourism represents one of the world’s fastest growing industries
- Many tourist destinations centered around places of natural beauty rich in biodiversity
- The theme links with the United Nation’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
It went on:
22 May 2017 – In today’s global celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity, under the theme of ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’, people are examing the positive but also potentially negative impacts that tourism can have on biodiversity. Tourism represents one of the world’s fastest growing industries. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the tourism sector grew by 3.9 per cent in 2016. Many tourist destinations are centered around places of natural beauty and rich natural assets where people can enjoy outdoor activities, or simply relax. This provides millions of jobs, and income for local communities. For example, about 40 million people are drawn every year to the Caribbean’s beautiful beaches and marine life, providing $25 billion of revenue annually –and nearly 50 per cent of the region’s total income.