TOURISM POLICIES SHOULD INTEGRATE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES -

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Government policies on
tourism should fully integrate climate change issues to overcome the effects of
climate change on the tourism industry, United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) Regional Technical Advisor for Climate Change Adaptation in the Pacific,
Gabor Vereczi said Tuesday.

He said the tourism sector depended on other sectors to thrive and could not
be addressed separately at the national level.

"It is a challenge to work in a sector that on one side, is a key economic
activity, while on the other, it depends on many other sectors and policies.

"Tourism is a cross-cutting sector and climate change is a cross-cutting
issue," he said on the sidelines of the 4th Tourism Promotion Organisation for
Asia-Pacific Cities (TPO) General Assembly here.

Meanwhile, the 200 participants of the general assembly, mainly from 64
cities including 39 industry players in the Asia-Pacific region, adopted the
declaration on climate change and tourism.

The declaration includes efforts on limiting carbon dioxide emission,
designating eco-friendly green hotels measuring up to global standards and
restrictions in each member city, and provide education programmes on climate
change for tourism workers as well as consumers.
-- BERNAMA