World tourism day recognizes the significance of tourists and the tourism industry all over the world. Celebrated on the 27 September every year, the main objective of commemorating it is to spread awareness regarding tourism and its social, cultural as well as political and economic values among the international communities and take steps to ensure it gets the attention it deserves to help millions of people benefit from it.
With time, tourism has experienced continued growth and deeper diversification and has become one of the fastest-growing economic industries in the world. Modern tourism is more closely related to the development taking place in different parts of the globe, and it includes new and better destinations that people can explore. These dynamics have turned the tourism industry is a key driver that can play a crucial role in socio-economic progress and made tourism a major player in international commerce, and it has become the main income source for so many countries.
According to experts of dissertation writing services, in 1979 it was decided by United Nations World Tourism Organization – UNWTO to constitute world tourism day and the first one was celebrated on September 27, 1980. This date was chosen as it coincided with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on September 27, 1970.
According to UNWTO, this day should be marked and celebrated because it comes at the end of the high tourism season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the tourist season in the southern hemisphere. It is a time when tourism is of topical interest to many people worldwide, particularly travelers and those working in the tourism sector. The main idea behind celebrating international tourism day is to educate the people on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity. With these international days that are marked by the UN, it becomes easy to advocate for them and get the support that is needed to help people understand their significance and work in the right direction to take things forward for good.
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The interesting thing about this day is that every year has a different theme – for example, “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity” was designated as the theme for 2009, with Ghana as the event’s host country for that year. The theme of the day was “sustainable tourism”, in 2017. In 2018 the theme was “Tourism and the Digital Transformation”. In 2019 the theme was “Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all” and in 2020 the theme was, “Tourism and Rural Development”.
Some Facts About Tourism:
- Tourism employs one in every ten people on Earth. Because of the pandemic, 100-120 million direct tourism jobs are at risk.
- UNWTO foresees that domestic tourism will return before international tourism. Managed well, this could benefit rural communities.
- Young people in rural communities are three times more likely to be unemployed. Tourism is a lifeline, offering young people a chance to earn a living without having to migrate.
Tourism is very important because it creates jobs, promotes local culture and products, and works in the sustainable use and management of the environment, like marine resources. In addition to this, it also helps to improve measures to make tourism an inclusive experience for all. Tourism can also help to get rid of properties by helping countries attract more tourists who would bring in lots of foreign exchange. It will also help countries and nations build better relations but understanding each other and ensure that people all over the world enjoy peace and prosperity.
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As the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) approaches, the UN invites people around the world, to participate in World Tourism Day every year. The UNWTO Secretary-General annually sends out a message to the general public to mark the occasion. Not only this but many tourism enterprises and organizations, as well as government agencies with a special interest in tourism, celebrate the event with special designed events and festivities.
Different types of competitions, such as photo competitions promoting tourism, as well as, tourism award presentations in areas such as ecotourism, are held on this day in various parts of the world. Other activities include free entries, discounts, or special offers for the general public to any site of tourism interest, and much more. Government and community leaders, such as tourism business representatives, also make public announcements or offer special tours or fares to promote, both their region and World Tourism Day on or around September 27.