Vatican releases statement for World Day of Tourism

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican’s new dicastery for Integral Human Development has issued a statement for World Tourism Day, emphasising the need for tourism that is compatible with sustainable development.

World Tourism Day will be observed on September 27. The UN has proclaimed that this year’s theme for the observance will be sustainable tourism. The Vatican statement was released on 1 August 2017, and signed by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, the prefect of the new Vatican dicastery.

“Tourism can be an important tool for growth and the fight against poverty,” the Vatican statement says. However the statement notes that from a Christian perspective, development cannot be limited to economic growth; “to be authentic, it must be well rounded.”

The statement goes on to say that tourism “must be responsible, and not destructive to the environment nor to the socio-cultural context of the locality. Moreover, it must be particularly respectful of the population and their heritage.” – CWN