Djerba Conference - first step towards mitigating negative impacts of climate changes on tourism

The First International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism was held successfully in Djerba, Tunisia, from 9 to 11 April 2003. More than 150 participants from 42 countries and six international organizations gathered at this event that was convened by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), upon the kind invitation of the Government of Tunisia.

The 26 presentations delivered by experts of UN, public and private sector,  NGO and academic institutions presented a wealth of knowledge on the specific interrelations of climate change and tourism. The conference especially focused on climate change related impacts on water resources, at coastal and island destinations, as well as mountain areas. A specific session was also dedicated to policy and mitigation issues.

As a major result of the Conference, the Djerba Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism was prepared through consultation with the  participants. The Declaration recognizes that climate change impacts are already occurring at some tourism destinations and the effects are expected to spread in the future and, consequently, there is a need for  adaptation and mitigation measures, among others. It includes a series of recommendations for international organizations, government and private  sector agencies for collaborative actions at the international, national and local destination levels.

"The Djerba Conference fulfilled perfectly its main purposes: bringing  together officials, researchers, experts and operators involved in the two mayor fields of climate change and tourism, raising awareness on the specific interrelations, and proposing some areas of cooperation for  further actions. "- said Mr. Francesco Frangialli, WTO Secretary-General.

"WTO will follow up activities at various levels; among the first steps, we plan to create a clearinghouse mechanism to disseminate research results and know-how on this subject internationally"-he added.

The Djerba Declaration on Climate Change and Tourism, as well as the final conference programme are available in the Internet, while the  complete  final report with the conclusions and the documents presented are expected to be posted in a couple of weeks: https://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/climate/brochure.htm