Hangzhou, China 20th October 2006 - Referring to the strong links between leisure, tourism and poverty reduction UNWTO Assistant Secretary General Geoffrey Lipman commended the 9th World Leisure Congress for joining the global campaign to stand up against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals.

In his remarks, he identified the emergence of a form of responsible enjoyment embodied in the UNWTO's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism which leaves a positive impact on visitors, on host communities and on the ecosystems it impacts. Noting that, the world is increasingly recognizing the beneficial socioeconomic impact of that mobile form of leisure and its great potential for the poorest countries -particularly in Africa.

China, so embodies the spirit and the realization of the tourism paradigm. In less than 2 decades, under the balanced dynamism of the socialist market economy, China has become the fourth largest international tourist export market and is on track to become the largest market in the next two decades. And with its rapidly expanding middle class this is destined to become the largest two way market in the world.

Significantly, these opportunities are progressively opening to a massive domestic market as well as the booming international one. In this way China can use tourism to respond to its own poverty challenges, as well as help other states to develop their tourism exports to respond to theirs.

There is no other industry that can do more than tourism, to directly deliver export income, to provide wages, to create jobs and to attract investment. Particularly where it adopts for responsible and sustainable consumption and production practices, which the UNWTO is championing. And where as a consequence it engages local partners, links with Information technology advances community based education and teaches quality service with sustainable delivery.

At the conclusion of the remarks 2000 attendees stood for a minute to express their support for the antipoverty campaign. To show solidarity with the poor and a sign of commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.

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