LDC export diversification, employment generation and the "green economy": What roles for tourism linkages?

Arbeitspapier

Pro-poor tourism is arguably one of the best green options for addressing LDC poverty, employment and economic diversification initiatives. Although often neglected as a serious policy option - and consequently most of its potential still remains untapped - tourism is the leading export for at least 11 LDCs, and the 2nd or 3rd largest export for another 11 or more. It is also a major source of new employment, especially for women, youth and the rural poor in general. While difficult to measure accurately, tourism's pro-poor impacts are directly related to the achieved level of inter- and intra-sectoral linkages. Taking export diversification, employment generation and the green economy in turn, the working paper analyzes feasible LDC alternatives, reaching the conclusion (within the limits of data availability) that - in contrast with the current overemphasis on agriculture and manufacturing - green tourism is demonstrably one of the areas of greatest current comparative advantage and development potential for the majority of LDCs, via its extensive upstream and downstream linkages/multiplier effects, employment-generating and poverty alleviation capacities, opportunities for export test marketing of new products, sustainability, and largely untapped export opportunities. An economy wide, primarily private-sector approach is an essential element for maximizing tourism benefits - including its multiple linkages with agriculture and manufacturing - together with a significant coordinating governmental role to minimize negative externalities. Unfortunately, there is no automatic guarantee that expanding tourism will significantly increase poverty alleviation or local employment generation: the necessary mechanisms must be explicitly included in tourism planning and implementation.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WTO Staff Working Paper ; No. ERSD-2012-24

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations ; Trade and Environment ; National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Infrastructures; Other Public Investment and Capital Stock ; Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism; Secession ; Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Other Substantive Areas of Law: Other ; Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods ; Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism ; Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology ; International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations ; Development Planning and Policy: Trade Policy; Factor Movement; Foreign Exchange Policy ; Other Economic Systems: International Trade, Finance, Investment and Aid ; Recreational Aspects of Natural Resources ; Climate; Natural Disasters and Their Management; Global Warming ; Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
• Subject: LDCs ; LDC Graduation ; Export Diversification ; Development ; Comparative Advantage ; Employment Generation ; Green Economy ; Green Tourism ; Pro-poor Tourism ; Tourism Linkages ; Cluster Analysis ; Value Chain Analysis ; Poverty Alleviation ; MDGs ; Gender Issues ; FDI ; GATS ; Africa ; Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) ; Rio+20 ; Armut ; Beschäftigung ; Exportdiversifizierung ; Nachhaltige Entwicklung ; Tourismuspolitik ; Entwicklungsländer

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Honeck, Dale
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): World Trade Organization (WTO)
• (where): Geneva
• (when): 2012

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.30875/f650be29-en
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/80064
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET