Since 1980, the United Nations WorldTourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as internationalobservance on September 27. This date was chosen as on that day in1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The adoption of these Statutes isconsidered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raiseawareness on the role of tourism within the internationalcommunity and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political andeconomic values worldwide.
Tourism is one of the most important sectorsin the modern world which has millions of people dependent on it for theirlivelihood. According to the official website of United Nations (UN), tourismsector employs one in every ten people on Earth, and for some countries, it canrepresent over 20 percent of their GDP.
Traveling brings happiness and joy to people’slife. But, due to this COVID-19 pandemic people are restricted to their homes.They have to wear masks and use hand sanitizers for their safety. This has madetheir lives more vulnerable.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massivesocial and economic impact. Both developed and developing economies have beenhit. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism could result in a more than$4 trillion loss to the global economy and tourism experts do not expect areturn to pre-COVID arrival levels until 2023 or later.
History of World Tourism Day:
UNWTO was established on this day in 1980 tocreate awareness on how tourism affects social-cultural, political and economicvalues globally and the role of tourism within the international community.
Significance of World Tourism Day:
This day is celebrated to promote tourism andto create awareness about it. “By celebrating this day, we state our commitmentthat, as tourism grows, the benefits that come will be felt at every level ofour broad and diverse sector, from the biggest airline to the smallest familybusiness,” Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO, said in his officialmessage.
Theme of World Tourism Day:
The theme of the day was "sustainabletourism", in 2017. In 2018 the theme was "Tourism and the DigitalTransformation". In 2019 the theme was "Tourism and Jobs: a betterfuture for all" and in 2020 the theme was: "Tourism and RuralDevelopment".
To kickstart the growth and recovery of the tourism sector, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has thereforedesignated World Tourism Day 2021 as a day to focus on “Tourism forInclusive Growth.” It aims to help people associated with the tourismsector in every possible way.
Celebration of World Tourism Day:
There is no public holiday on this day. Governmentbodies conduct various events and festivities as a part of the celebration.Excellency in the field of tourism is recognized and awarded on this day. Various competitions like photo competitions,street rallies, bicycle parades, essays, and poster competitions are held toreflect the day’s importance.