World tourism officials adopted a joint declaration at the end of their three-day conference in South Korea Wednesday, saying that tourism can contribute to overcoming the global economic crisis and promoting economic growth.
The T-20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting kicked off in Buyeo, some 195 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday to discuss the role of tourism in the global recovery and green growth. The conference brought together tourism ministers from the world's 20 largest economies and international organizations.
"Tourism can make an important contribution to the initiatives that the G-20 is undertaking to achieve shared growth beyond crisis, particularly in terms of global job creation and the development agenda," said the joint statement.
"The tourism sector stands ready to work toward the common objectives of strong, sustainable and balanced growth."
The global tourism leaders also agreed to strive to support integration of travel and tourism within broader green growth strategies for sustainable development and cultural enrichment.
They decided to hold the next T-20 meeting in France next year.