IORA Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Destination Management

With a share of about 9% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014, the tourism industry continues to experience rapid expansion and diversification becoming one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors worldwide.

During the past 60 years, an increasing number of destinations have opened up in the different regions in the world and as a result, tourism is ranked high on the list of development priorities of the majority of IORA Member States.

The Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Mauritius in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat hosted the Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Destination Management under the theme: “Enhancing capacities of Member States for sustainable tourism through sharing of experiences and best practices” which took place at Le Meridien Hotel, Pointe aux Piments, in Mauritius on 3-4 May, 2017. The Workshop was attended by representatives of 13 Member States namely Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE and 3 Dialogue Partners, namely China, Japan and United Kingdom.

The importance of this workshop was also underscored by the attendance of international organisations such as the International Trade Centre (ITC) and was important in bringing to the fore the best tourism practices adopted by IORA Member States in their respective countries.

The recommendations of the workshop will be submitted to the upcoming Committee of Senior Officials for endorsement and to the Council of Ministers for approval.