Develop green tourism, says DPM

Tuesday October 5, 2010
By MUGUNTAN VANAR vmugu@thestar.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: World tourism bodies under the United Nations should develop measures for green tourism that can be adopted by nations developing their tour industry.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this could be done by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO), adding that the latest technology and information on green tourism should also be disseminated.

“There is a need to come out with clear guidelines, may be some standard approach on how this issue can be managed by governments and also by the various stakeholders,” he told reporters yesterday after opening the World Tourism Conference attended by about 500 delegates from 44 countries.

He said environment and conservation were important, and Malaysia wanted to push tourism into the forefront of generating revenue for the country while not harming the environment.
Muhyiddin also said tourists currently preferred to move away from cities and “head towards nature”.

“They want to go up the mountain, they want to enjoy the environment. These are the pristine values of tourism that need to be conserved for future generations,” he added.

Earlier in his speech, Muhyiddin said Malaysia was keen to develop green technology and implement the best practices in sustainable development to resolve adverse environmental issues frequently attributed to tourism.

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