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Welcome remarks

Mr. Carlo LAMPRECHT - Chairman of the Department of Economy, Employment and External Affairs, Geneva - Chairman of the Tourism Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland

 

On behalf of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, I have the honour and great pleasure in welcoming you most warmly to the 4th Tourism Summits, which is once again bringing policy decision-makers, economic players and tourism professionals together in our city and in Chamonix.

This opening ceremony at the Hotel President Wilson, close to the Palace of the same name, assumes a symbolic value. Just a few steps from here the secretariat of the fledgling League of Nations was established in 1920 - the first international organisation in history. These 4th Tourism Summits are therefore being opened under the patronage of the American President, winner of the 1919 Nobel Peace Price, and the renowned “Spirit of Geneva” which heavily influenced the League of Nations at that time.

We are also delighted to see the Tourism Summits used as a forum for some basic thinking on the future of the world’s leading industry. We must fully comprehend the evolution of this industry which faced globalisation before many others and which anticipates doubling its volume over the next 20 years, if its development is to be trouble-free.

We are also conscious of this year’s chosen theme - the obvious links between tourism and culture. Our city may well be appreciated first and foremost throughout the world for its international role and humanitarian dimension, but it is equally endowed with a rich historical and cultural heritage. Geneva, a centre for markets and fairs, established a hospitality structure as early as the Middle Ages, which has been continuously improved . Fortunate to have an outstanding natural setting, described wonderfully by Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the end of the 18th century, Geneva was no longer going to part with its true tourism calling.

Today, tourism in Geneva represents an average of 10,000 visitors every day and creates 20,000 jobs. Thus this small city, which every year organises more meetings than New York and welcomes its visitors from a hundred or so different countries, can legitimately lay claim to the title of tourist capital. This description, the envy of many, is not of course an end unto itself. It nevertheless contributes to making the host population and public authorities aware of the importance of this economic sector for the prosperity of our canton. This awareness is all the more essential as the world is doing us no favours at the beginning of the 21st century. Faced with this reality, let us together rediscover our intrinsic values and the historical influences of tourism which have always encouraged exchanges, conviviality and often peace.

Geneva is therefore taking an active and enthusiastic part once again in these Tourism Summits and we hope that the spirit of Geneva already referred to will continue to inspire us and encourage our exchanges, so that tourism continues to represent not just a gilt-edged security in our economy, but also a dynamic force in the service of human relationships, and a cultural foil and a messenger of friendship and understanding between the peoples of the world.