Joan Mesquida, of the Spanish Government, painted a forgiving picture, based on the fact that some hotels and hotel chains have signed the global code of ethics for tourism, which he claims has become “the standard in the tourism sector”, despite the fact that the code is not binding. However, he did admit that “there is still a long way to go”. He also stated that “governments must be aware that this unbridled race for growth, without planning and organisation of time and space, leads to the exhaustion of resources and a tourist-induced drought”.
The Ecuadorian Minister of Tourism, Freddy Ehlers, was noted for his fresh approach and explicit criticism of the current paradigm in the tourism industry in his presentation. “We are faced with a new era, we can no longer think as we did in the past. One cannot think analogically in the digital age”.
The former Malian Minister of Tourism condemned the visa policies of rich countries. “I almost couldn’t get a visa to be here today”. She also complained that Mali is associated with terrorism, which is detrimental to its budding local tourism industry.
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