The important contribution of tourism

In September 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Core element of this ambitious plan is to eradicate extreme poverty by the year 2030. To achieve this goal, more than classical development aid is required - an important contribution comes from the travel industry.

The times of merely providing money are gone
Over the last decades, development cooperation has fundamentally changed: The concept under which industrialized countries were solely providing funds to governments in Africa and Asia has become obsolete. While recognizing that economies and non-governmental organizations are providing major impetuses to local supply chains, policy makers have been involving these stakeholders in their plans - it was this approach that has led the UN Millennium Goals, adopted in 2000, to success. The number of people living on 1.25 US Dollars or less per day has been halved , the same goes for child mortality and the mortality of pregnant women.

Tourism promotes development
The important contribution of tourism to a sustainable recovery in developing and emerging countries
is confirmed by the example of Germany:

• Development aid: Eleven million Germans travel to developing und emerging countries every year. The resulting direct contribution to these countries' GDPs amounts to seven billion euros - thereby almost corresponding to Germany's entire official development aid budget.
• Infrastructure and jobs: In developing countries, 738 000 jobs in hotels and restaurants alone can be attributed to travellers from Germany.  In addition, local people are benefitting from infrastructure investments - for instance in improved drinking water supply. 
• Social development: Studies confirm a direct relationship between the number of incoming international tourists and literacy rates, as well as the World Bank's political participation index.

Thus, every German traveller is providing practical development assistance.