Association Internationale d'Experts Scientifique du Tourisme Annual Congress – Future-oriented Tourism Policy: a Contribution to the Strategic Development of Places.

This article presents the highlights of the Annual Association Internationale d'Experts Scientifique du Tourisme Congress in Slovenia in September 1999. The congress was entitled Future-Oriented Tourism Policy: A Contribution to the Strategic Development of Places. Sergio Molina and Augusto Martinez listed the economic impacts of tourism development in Mexico. As the economic impact of tourism is difficult to evaluate, the tourism policy encouraged the implementation of the Tourism Satellite Accounts, a methodological approach that is seen as an important tool for evaluating the importance of tourism for national economies. The presentation by David Airey and Richard Butler addressed tourism as a policy framework at a regional level. They pointed out that although the regional dimension has been an important element of tourism, the regional level is not one that relates well to either demand or supply of tourist services. In conclusion, although the congress was well prepared and many questions were predefined, there was little discussion on the tourism policy statements. Tourism policy should direct part of the commercial tourism earnings towards environmental protection. The public goods problem will have to be given much more attention in the future tourism policies.