Salma Yousry
Moderator
This session explores sustainable tourism as a catalyst for urban development, fostering dialogue among global stakeholders. It highlights impacts on urban landscapes, eco-friendly cities, and investments, aligning with SDG 11 for sustainable cities
Tourism serves as a powerful economic engine worldwide, driving job creation, economic prosperity, and cross-cultural exchange. Yet, the conventional mass tourism model, fixated on maximizing visitor numbers and profits, has exacted a toll on the environment and local communities. Issues such as environmental degradation, pollution, cultural dilution, and social displacement have underscored the negative impact of mass tourism expansion.
Responding to these pressing challenges, a paradigm shift towards "Sustainable Tourism" has emerged, offering an approach that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional tourism. Unlike mass tourism, Sustainable Tourism seeks to leave a positive imprint by contributing to the restoration and enrichment of local ecosystems and communities and promoting them. It looks at tourists’ visits beyond being an investment opportunity and a source of foreign currency but can be a tool to preserve the city's resources and raise the standard of living.
The intersection of sustainable tourism with urban development emphasizes its crucial role in applying innovative approaches to city planning, and community engagement. This paves the way for the creation of environmentally conscious urban spaces that prioritize a better quality of life for residents and the environment. In addition, sustainable tourism has huge potential to attract investments as investors are now increasingly attracted to sustainable initiatives that are in line with the principles of regeneration.
Involving a diverse range of stakeholders, from government agencies to local communities and businesses, fosters a collaborative environment essential to moving sustainable urban development initiatives forward. By cultivating strong partnerships and encouraging active participation from all sectors, cities can attract investment, drive economic growth and create a resilient urban landscape that thrives on sustainability, inclusivity and innovation.
Hence, this event will serve as a platform dedicated to exploring the multifaceted impact of the Sustainable Tourism model on a global scale. It will delve into the potential of this model to radically transform urban development, create eco-friendly cities and attract investments.
Case studies will be highlighted by presenting a group of local and international experiences, especially the experience of the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) in Egypt as an example of taking the Sustainable Tourism model as one of the focus areas in the Strategic Plans for cities, where the GOPP has worked to develop cities such as Dahab as a sustainable tourism center which attracts jobs and investments while preserving its identity and culture. Looking at cases similar to Dahab around the MENA Region and globally will help share successful examples, lessons learned and recommendations for other cities to adopt. Existing sustainable tourism guides and frameworks will also be discussed.
1. Promoting a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange among stakeholders in the field of sustainable development & tourism and encouraging the exchange of innovative solutions and strategies to build more resilient cities.
2. Enhance collaboration between stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, businesses, investors, urban planning, environmental conservation, academia and NGOs, to build partnerships towards the SDGs.
3. Discussing the principles and practical applications of Sustainable Tourism in urban development, emphasizing its role in enhancing the city’s resilience.
4. Highlighting successful case studies and best practices in implementing Sustainable Tourism initiatives and demonstrating their positive impacts on ecosystems and local communities, focusing on MENA region and globally.
5.Discuss the role of policymaking and regulatory frameworks needed to support and scale up Sustainable Tourism practices.
6.Discuss the economic advantages of Sustainable Tourism and its ability to attract investments by aligning sustainable initiatives with financial opportunities.
7.Study the role of education and awareness-raising in promoting the principles of sustainable tourism among tourists and local communities, with a focus on building a culture of sustainability and responsible travel behavior.
8.Explore innovative technologies and practices that can support sustainable tourism efforts, such as eco-friendly accommodations, and smart city initiatives.