Prosperity through connectivity: Tourism and regional sustainable development
Panel Session
This panel will examine the impact of increased connectivity on tourism growth and sustainable development. Specifically, it will showcase examples of where tourism has increased as a result of improving connectivity. Tourism has experienced steady growth in the last decade and this trend is expected to continue, with an average annual increase of 3.3% in international tourism forecast by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Improved transport connectivity facilitates more tourism, especially in remote areas and on islands. Yet unchecked growth in the number of visitors can bring negative impacts such as depleting resources, increasing CO2 emissions, and higher living costs for people residing in the area. Tourists also have different mobility needs from those of residents, and peaks in tourist traffic can disrupt services for locals.
Key questions:
- How can tourism support local economies (e.g., agro- tourism, small- and medium-sized enterprises, local products)?
- Can the mobility needs of tourists and local residents align?
- How can sustainable tourism deal with the problem of seasonal peaks?
Ali Aslan
Ali Aslan is an international television presenter, moderator and journalist. His career has included working for global news networks such as CNN, ABC News, Channel News Asia and Deutsche Welle TV.
Adrian Gane
Mr. Adrian Gane has been Regional General Manager in Sales, at Etihad Airways since July 2012. Mr. Gane is currently CEO of a major lobbying organisation in the UK, and a senior Government Affairs Director and advisor with Etihad Airways based in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Gane served as Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf from April 14, 2011 to July 2012. He served as Commercial Director and a Member of the Management Board at OnAir Switzerland Sarl since February 2006, with extensive commercial and political experience gained in a variety of roles held internationally (Far East, Middle East, Europe) and in the UK.
Angus McKenzie
Angus Mckenzie has joined the government as a councillor of the city of Cape Town since August 2016.
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson is the Minister of Transport and Local Government of Iceland. He has been in this position since 2017. He is also the Minister for Nordic Co-operation and Chairman of the Progressive Party.
Alain Dupeyras
As Head of the Regional Development and Tourism Division in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, Alain Dupeyras oversees OECD work on tourism, on rural policies and on other regional and territorial issues. Alain works closely with Members and Partners, the private sector and other international organisations to develop policies that address major challenges in all these policy areas. The Tourism Committee, the Regional Development Policy Committee, and the Working Party on Rural Policy are key OECD fora to assist governments in the assessment and improvement of these policies. Through the Working Party on Tourism Statistics, Alain also contributes to an improved measurement and analysis of tourism services.
Jaehak Oh
Dr. Oh obtained his PhD degree for transport studies at University College London in 1990. Since 1992, he has been working for The Korea Transport Institute (KOTI). Dr. Oh was Vice President and Director of National Transport Strategy Planning at KOTI during 2011 to 2017. During the last 27 years, Dr. Oh has project managed more than 70 of KOTI’s transport projects. During 2006 to 2011, He was the project manager of the national R&D, “Transport Connectivity and Transfer technology Development.” He has played a key role in innovating transport systems for green growth and formulating infrastructure policies for the Korean government. Since 2009, Dr. Oh has been the research project manager of High-Speed Rail(KTX) economic development which aims to promote regional and urban development through KTX station area development. At present, he is a SC Member of WCTR-Society and an Editorial Board Member for the WCTR Journal of Transport Policy. Also, Dr. Oh is Chairperson of International Scientific Committee of EASTS(East-Asian Society of Transportation Studies).