..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date 14 October 2005
Press Release No: G/25/2005

BALI MEETING TO PROMOTE TOURISM AS A KEY TO POVERTY REDUCTION

Bangkok (United Nations Information Services) -- Strategies to ensure the strong yet sustained development of the tourism sector in the Asia-Pacific region is the focus of a meeting to be held in Bali on 7-9 December 2005.

The High Level Inter-Governmental Meeting on Sustainable Tourism Development will be hosted by the Government of Indonesia and organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

On 14 October 2005, the Indonesian government will sign the host agreement to collaborate with UNESCAP for the three day event in Bali, Indonesia.

The meeting will review accomplishments under the Plan of Action for Sustainable Tourism Development in the Asian and Pacific Region (1999-2005) and consider a second phase of the Plan (2006-2012).

The program will explore issues in tourism development in the Asian and Pacific region. Highlights include: enhancing tourism’s role in socioeconomic development and poverty reduction; facilitating transport development and other tourism related infrastructure; managing the sociocultural and environmental impact of tourism; managing crisis and risk in tourism and human resources development in the tourism sector.

Participants from Asia-Pacific governments, business and civil society are expected to attend.

* *** *