Devastated?by pandemic, tourism sector must be rebuilt in a safe, equitable?and climate friendly way – UN chief

25 August 2020

Economic Development?UN?

Tourism is much more than visiting cultural landmarks or swimming in tropical beaches; it is “one of the world’s most important economic sectors”, the UN chief said on Tuesday.

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devastate v. ??/?dev?ste?t/ ?

1.to completely destroy a place or an area 徹底破壞；摧毀；毀滅?The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 這顆炸彈炸毀了舊城的一大片地方。

2.[ often passive ] to make sb feel very shocked and sad 使震驚；使極為憂傷；使極為悲痛

equitable adj. ??/?ekw?t?bl/ ?( formal ) fair and reasonable; treating everyone in an equal way 公平合理的；公正的

Launching his latest?policy brief, on tourism,?Secretary-General António Guterres, pointed out that the industry “employs one-in-every-ten people on Earth and provides livelihoods to hundreds of millions more”.

The key to better decision making??As the tourism sector restarts in a safe and responsible way, it is essential that we all do so on the basis of accurate and clear information.

— World Tourism Organization (@UNWTO)?August 20, 2020

Strong data from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) shows that 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs are at risk. And the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) forecasts a loss of 1.5 to 2.8 per cent of global GDP.

Describing tourism as an opportunity to experience the world’s cultural and natural riches, bringing people closer to each other and highlighting our common humanity, Mr. Guterres said: “One might say that tourism is itself one of the wonders of the world”.

A sobering glimpse

sobering adj. /?s??b?r??/ ?making you feel serious and think carefully 令人警醒的；使人冷靜的?? a sobering effect/experience/thought, etc. 令人警醒的效果、經(jīng)歷、思想等

glimpse?/ɡl?mps/??

1.~ (at sb/sth)~ (of sb/sth)a look at sb/sth for a very short time, when you do not see the person or thing completely?一瞥；一看??He?caught a glimpse?of her in the crowd.?他一眼瞥見(jiàn)她在人群里。

2.~ (into sth)~ (of sth)a short experience of sth that helps you to understand it?短暫的感受（或體驗(yàn)、領(lǐng)會(huì)）?a fascinating glimpse into life in the ocean?

Among other things, the brief finds that, due to the?unprecedented?shutdown of global travel and trade, tourism may be the sector worst affected by the?coronavirus.?
“It has been so painful to see how tourism has been devastated by the?COVID-19?pandemic”, the UN chief reflected.

unprecedented ?adj. /?n?pres?dent?d/ ?that has never happened, been done or been known before 前所未有的；空前的；沒(méi)有先例的?? The situation is unprecedented in modern times. 這種情況在現(xiàn)代還沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)過(guò)。

Moreover, there are secondary impacts, such as increase in?poaching, as people search for other sources of income.
In the first five months of this year, international tourist arrivals have fallen by more than half and around $320 billion in tourism exports were lost, according to the top UN official.?

poach v. /p??t?/ ?

1. ?水煮，燉，煨（尤指魚(yú)）?poached salmon 清燉鮭魚(yú)

2.去殼水煮蛋；3.（在他人地界）偷獵，偷捕??The elephants are poached for their tusks. 為獲取象牙而偷獵大象。

4.~ (sb/sth) (from sb/sth) to take and use sb/sth that belongs to sb/sth else, especially in a secret, dishonest or unfair way 盜用；挖走（人員等）??The company poached the contract from their main rivals. 這家公司竊取了其主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的合同。

“Many are in the informal economy or in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which employ a high proportion of women and young people”, Mr. Guterres continued.

As for women, rural communities, indigenous?peoples and many other historically marginalized?populations, “tourism has been a vehicle for integration, empowerment and generating income”, he added.

indigenous adj. /?n?d?d??n?s/ ?~ (to...) ( formal ) belonging to a particular place rather than coming to it from somewhere else 本地的；當(dāng)?shù)氐?；土生土長(zhǎng)的?? the indigenous peoples/languages of the area 該地區(qū)的本地人╱語(yǔ)言

marginalize /?mɑ?d??n??la?z/ To marginalize a group of people means to make them feel isolated and unimportant. 使邊緣化; 排擠

empowerment /?m?pa??m?nt/ ?The empowerment of a person or group of people is the process of giving them power and status in a particular situation. 權(quán)利賦予

Conservation pillar

conservation /?k?ns??ve???n/n. 保存，保持；保護(hù)

pillar ?/?p?l?(r)/?n.柱子，柱形物；棟梁；墩；vt. 用柱支持

Conservation?pillar：保護(hù)區(qū)支柱（指旅游行業(yè)帶來(lái)的經(jīng)濟(jì)活動(dòng)）

Tourism is also a key pillar for the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.?

“The fall in revenues has led to increased poaching and habitat destruction in and around protected areas, and the closure of many World Heritage Sites has deprived?communities of vital livelihoods”, informed the UN chief.

Rebuilding

The Secretary-General underscored the importance of rebuilding the tourism sector in a way that is “safe, equitable and climate friendly”.

Noting that transport-related greenhouse gas emissions could “rebound sharply if recovery is not aligned with climate goals”, he stressed that sustainable and responsible travel is?imperative to support the millions that depend on tourism for their livelihoods.

Key areas

Mr. Guterres outlined five priority areas to aid recovery and re-establish an industry that is safe for?host communities, workers and travellers.

His first task is to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the crisis – particularly women’s employment and economic security.
Secondly, he suggests building resilience across the entire tourism sector.

Maximizing technology throughout the industry, including by promoting innovation and investing in digital skills, is his third priority.
His fourth point is to promote sustainability and green growth in managing the shift towards a resilient, carbon-neutral tourism?sector.

neutral /?nju?tr?l/ adj. 中立的，中性的；中立國(guó)的；非彩色的；n. 中立國(guó)；中立者；非彩色；齒輪的空檔? ?carbon-neutral tourism：碳平衡旅游業(yè) 相當(dāng)于環(huán)保型旅游業(yè)

And finally, he flags that partnerships must be fostered to responsibly ease and lift travel restrictions in a coordinated manner to restart and transform tourism towards achieving the?Sustainable Development Goals?(SDGs).

“Let us ensure tourism regains its position as a provider of decent jobs, stable incomes and the protection of our cultural and natural heritage”, concluded the Secretary-General.

Stronger together

In addition to these priorities, UNWTO underscored that continued coordination and cooperation at every level is critical.?

UNWTO:聯(lián)合國(guó)世界旅游組織(United Nations World Tourism Organization)
Emphasizing the guiding principle of “stronger together”, UNWTO’s leadership has warned against the short and long-term consequences of Governments taking unilateral decisions.?

unilateral adj. /?ju?n??l?tr?l/ ?done by one member of a group or an organization without the agreement of the other members 單方的?? a unilateral decision 單方面的決定

“The situation is changing every day”, said UNWTO chief?Zurab Po****kashvili. “It is impossible today to make a forecast for the next year”.

Nuts and bolts

nuts and bolts ：the essential or practical details 必不可少的細(xì)節(jié); 實(shí)際的細(xì)節(jié)

While UNWTO too the lead in drafting the brief, 13 other UN agencies, funds or programmes have contributed, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women and the UNCTAD.?

Among other things, it found that, due to the unprecedented shutdown of global travel and trade, tourism may be the sector worst affected by COVID-19.?

原文鏈接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1070902

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