Annals of Tourism Research - 1975 - Why a World Trade Organization

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ANl’JALS OF TO:JRISM RESEARCHVol. II, No. 5, May/June 1975

Ar title Two

WHY A WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION

Why WTO? Why a World Tourism Organization? We could just as well

ask, why ITU (International Telecommunication Union)? Or why ICAO

(International Civil Aviation Organization)? Or why WHO (World Health

Organization) or any other specialized inter-governmental agency. In each

case these agencies were born at a time when some new world-wide develop-

ment made their creation inevitable. The responsibility of every government

is to work toward the improvement in the quality of life of its citizens. When

new developments offer opportunities for such improvement, governments

inevitably accommodate themselves to the new situation.

The invention of the telegraph with its ability to carry messages across

national frontiers made evident the need to create the International Telegraph

Union in 1865. This was the parent of the present International Telecommun-

ications Union (ITU) formed in 1934 to keep pace with new developments

brought about by radio communication.

The creation of world-spanning airline systems following World War II

caused the inevitable creation of an International Civil Aviation Organization

(ICAO) in 1947.

International air travel introduced a new problem in the field of public

health when it became possible to transmit contagious diseases from one

part of the world to another in a matter of days. The need to create the

World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 for the purpose of not only pro-

viding a worldwide medical warning system but also to serve as a vehicle to

spread new medical and public health technology, was readily perceived and

acted on.

246 ATK May/June 1975



WHY A WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION

Now, the question may be asked once more: Why WTO? The obvious

answer is that we have reached that historic point in time when the rapid dev-

elopment of world tourism with all its benefits as well as costs, has made the

introduction of this organization inevitable.

In 1950 international tourist arrivals throughout the world were reported

at about 25 million. By 1973 these travelers visiting outside the boundaries

of their own countries had multiplied to a total of some 215 million and

their spending was accounting for about $27.6 billion in world trade. More

than 100 national governments have now created agencies to actively promote

and provide facilities for international travellers.

At the same time many governments have been increasingly concerned

with improving the quality of life of their citizens through the provision of

facilities for domestic travel and recreation on a scale far in excess of the

programs involving international travellers. (Total world tourism expendi-

tures are estimated in a range of $150 to $200 billion.) The rapid expansion

of this transportation-travel-recreation phenomenon, which is called tourism,

has made it necessary for governments to devise a wide range of new policies,

new programs and new administrative mechanisms. At the national level,

decisions involving tourism affect the use of engergy, land, water, labor, cap-

ital and the expenditure of foriegn exchange for needed imports. New policies

to meet new developments in tourism requiie decision-making at the highest

levels in governments.

At the same time, to meet the need.s of the fast-expanding market forinternational travel, a large number of non-governmental transnational org-

anizations have appeared on the scene. These include tour operators, hotel

chains, transportation companies, sightseeing organizations, reservations sys-

ems, credit-card and financial institutions and a host of other world-girdling

enterprises.

Manjr of these new developments involving both government and non-

government agencies have international implications introduced by tech-

nologies which defy any arrangements below the global scale. National tour-

ism policies must now be adjusted to take into account global changes anddevelopments.

The creation of The World Tourism Organization provides an organi-

zation which can play a central role in concentrating available information

and expertise in a relatively new sector of international economic and social

development. It can play an important role in providing technical assist-

ance to help governments through the development of their tourism indus-

tries to improve their abilities to earn foregin exchange to provide jobs for

ur:employed workers to ofi:: a wide range of educational, cultural and

recreational benefits to both foreign visitor and local resident.

ATR May/June 1975 247



CONTINUING EFFORTS IN TOURISM R & D

Even more important than the specialized and technical contribution

which can be made by WTO is the impact it will make toward enlarging the

community of international agencies which are quietly, step-by-step, helpingto create a more rational and organized world society. Recent events involv-

ing provision for the expanding need for energy, food, raw materials, airtransportation, as well as the protection of the global environment and theequitable use of the ocean’s resources, all demonstrate the interdependenceof nations and the need for intelligent management of this interdependence.

In the second half of the 20th century we are seeing an increase in thenumber of nation states all seeking to preserve their individualism while atthe same time all wanting to benefit from new technologies and new institu-tions which operate on a global scale across all national boundaries. To weldtogether the common interests of all without interfering unduly with the in-dividual and particular interests of each is the task of this growing communityof specialized international agencies of which WTO is the most recent member

The world society which must make the plans and decisions to meet theneeds of a world which in 25 years will be twice as populated will undoubted-ly progress through doing practical things together, in the marketplace, in theworkshops, in the laboratories, in educational institutions and in the organiza-tions concerned with leisure-time activities (travel, recreation and culturalaffairs).

Among specific contributions which WTO can make as it joins the com-

munity of specialized international agencies are the following:

-Provide a world-clearing house for the collection, analysis and dissemi-nation of technical tourism information, including statistics, marketstudies, details of tourism legislation and regulations, developmentplanning studies, information on tourist organization budgets, promo-tional expenditures, accommodation capacity and other matters of gen-eral interest to both government agencies and the private business sec-tor. The translating and multi-language services of WTO also representa unique contribution to world tourism.

-Offer national tourism administrations and organizations the machineryenabling a multinational approach to international discussion and nego-tiation on tourism subjects within this agency’s field of competence.

-Provide technical assistance to national and regional government tour-ism agencies relating to organization, administration and other manage-ment functions involved in creating and operating official tourism organ-iza tions.

248 ATR May/June 1975



WHY A WORLD TOURlSM ORGANIZATION

-Foster, in cooperation with other competent specialized agencies, the

adoption of measures and policies directed toward removal of govern-

mental barriers to the free movement of travellers.

-Provide the machinery for international conferences, seminars, studycommissions, task forces and other means for focusing up-to-date

information and expertise on matters relating to the development of

tourism.

-Encourage, carry out and publish research studies on all matters relating

to international tourism.

-Assist in matters concerned with vocational training with a view to con-

tributing to the establishment of adequate training programs, taking into

account training programs already offered by other international andnational bodies and where appropriate cooperating with existing agen-

cies.

-Serve as spokesman for tourism at the international level and collab-

orate in tourism development planning with other international agen-

cies both as a participating and executing agency where appropriate.

Why WTO? Perhaps in an indirect way Pascal provided the best

answer when he wrote: “Whatever does not directly or indirectly help

bring men together does not deserve a moment of effort”. The political

philosopher David Mitrany expressed the same thought when he wrote:

“The task of statesmanship in our time is .not to keep nations peacefully

apart, but to bring them actively together”. The creation of the World

Tourism Organization represent a major step in meeting this goal of increas-

ing global togetherness. 0

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Annals of Tourism Research - 1975 - Why a World Trade Organization