The participants of the International Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Islands and Small States, which came to an end on Saturday, said the authorities of small island states need to take measures to ensure that tourism stakeholders participate and are held accountable for actions that impact on the quality of life of local communities.
In their final statement at the end of the three-day conference held in Malta, the participants recognised tourism as the sector that has a large and multi-faceted impact on the population of islands and small states affecting amongst other things, their economy, physical and social environments and cultures.
The participants said they were aware that island tourism extends beyond tropical and temperate locations call for recognition of issues pertaining to cold water islands and that environmental, social and cultural degradation arising from tourism are often far-reaching and irreversible.
The participants recommended that information and advice on sustainable tourism be widely and consistently disseminated to politicians and tourism stakeholders, particularly for planning and implementation purposes and that authorities, private sector organisations and other stakeholders in islands and small states take a long term and holistic view of economic, cultural and environmental factors associated with tourism and integrate these within the wider policy and business contexts.
They also called on the authorities of islands and small states take cognisance of the policy guidelines, standards and indicators proposed by the World Tourism Organisation and incorporate them into national tourism policies, overall sustainable development strategies and legislative frameworks.
They said authorities ensure that the provision of built environment, transport and communications infrastructure, including hotels and leisure complexes and utilities such as energy, water and waste disposal facilities, support sustainable development principles, particularly social and environmental justice.
The participants thanked the staff of the Islands and Small States Institute of the Foundation for International Studies of the University of Malta for the successful meeting, as well as the Malta Tourism Authority, the World Tourism Organisation, Air Malta, Heritage Malta and the Ministry for Tourism, for the support they extended to the conference.