Introduction

The tourism industry represents one of the main sectors in the global economy, often referred to as the world’s largest single industry. Harnessing the opportunities and dealing with the challenges of the largest ongoing migration of people in history is of utmost importance, and is particularly significant for developing countries.

The Secretariat’s tourism activities provide bridges and links between various thematic programmes to ultimately facilitate the implementation of the Convention. These programmes, such as island biodiversity, marine and coastal biodiversity, forests, and invasive species, are crucial to a complementary approach to tourism issues.

"The powerful forces that shape the essence of tourism, including the human urge to see and experience the natural world, must continue to be harnessed to support the achievement of the goals of the Convention".

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (2007)