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South based Tourism Groups raise concerns about UNWTO theme of the year "Tourism Opens Doors for Women"

Several South-based groups and networks involved in tourism issues expressed their concern about the theme of the World Tourism Organization's World Tourism Day – 27 September 2007: "TOURISM OPENS DOORS FOR WOMEN".

Read below:

(1) Tourism Action Group's (TAG) Statement "TAG CHALLENGES UNWTO: "CLOSE THE DOORS TO SEX TOURISM !"

(2) Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism's (ECOT)- statement "TOURISM OPENS DOORS FOR WOMEN – DOES IT?"

"Opening Doors is not enough" Indian NGOs Critique UNWTO's World Tourism Day Message

27 September 2007
Opening Doors is not enough – Equality, Equity and Empowerment is what women seek in Tourism

Joint statement by Alternatives (Goa), Council for Social Justice and Peace (Goa), EQUATIONS (Bangalore) and Sakhi Resource Centre for Women (Kerala)

"Tourism has never been what you have claimed"- Coastal Women Forum writes to Union Minister and UNWTO on World Tourism Day 2007

Coastal Womens Protest

In Kovalam, one of the most prominent tourism destinations in Kerala, many of the women fruit sellers, most of them from fishing communities, are faced with harassment and torture by the authorities and hoteliers. In Kerala's backwater tourism destinations, the livelihoods of fisher folk and farmers are at stake because house boats, resorts and other boats are polluting the waters. Trafficking of women and the revitalization of the domestic prostitution have become major threats in many destinations due to the development of tourism and the entertainment industry.  Based on these experiences, the UNWTO and various governments should understand that tourism has never been what they have claimed it is

  • Statement by Maglin Peter, Elizabath Antony and Freeska Kurisappan on behalf Coastal Women Forum 
  • Mahila Vedi's Letter to Ambika Soni, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture.

Kerala Fisher Women Protest against World Tourism Day Celebrations

The Theeradesa Mahilavedi (Coastal Women's Forum) has called for civil society support to their opposition to the World Tourism Day celebrations, present pattern of tourism development in the state and, its politics in the context of the World Tourism Organization's tourism day message that "Tourism opens doors for women" and tourism's negative impacts on women, local communities, environment and culture.