7th World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism

(April 20, 2012) The Catholic Church’s 7th World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism is kicking off on Monday in Cancun, Mexico. Organized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Prelature of Cancún-Chetumal, with the collaboration of the Mexican Bishops' Conference, the April 23-27 congress will tackle the theme, “Tourism that makes a difference. Discussions will pivot around three main topics, namely, a general view of tourism, religious tourism, and tourism of Christians. Under these will come into focus sub-issues such as social tourism, tourism as an economic resource for poor countries, the fight against sex tourism, proposals for formation and liturgy in tourism areas, the evangelizing power of cultural heritage and pastoral care for those who work in the tourism industry. According to estimates by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international tourism increased by 4.4% in 2011, with 980 million tourists worldwide. Europe alone accounted for 503 million tourists.