Thursday, March 15, 2007

UNCTAD e-Tourism Sabah Conference: Massive e-tourism potential, benefit

Kota Kinabalu: Integrating tourism and ICT through e-tourism can be a fruitful combination to reduce poverty, promote growth and assist developing countries move up the value chain and assume their rightful place in the global arena.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, who was officiating at a two-day conference, "e-Tourism for Growth - Matching Market Efficiency and Social Inclusion", said e-tourism offers a viable alternative.

"e-tourism is more than flashy websites; it allows local suppliers to structure their offers in a way that make them visible, accessible and competitive on the global marketplace. e-tourism can make it possible for niche products to reach niche markets. The potential and benefit for both backward and forward linkages are thus enormous."

He said since 2004 UNCTAD has been engaged in the "e-Tourism Initiative" designed to boost travel and tourism in developing countries.

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