Happy World Tourism Day 2017!
“You can be the change you want to see in the world. You can be an ambassador for a better
future. This World Tourism Day, whenever you travel, wherever you travel, remember to:
Respect Nature, Respect Culture, Respect Your Host.” – Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General
Happy World Tourism Day!
September 27th marks the annual celebration of the World Tourism Day (WTD). Celebrated in line with the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, this year’s WTD is dedicated to exploring the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals. We took this as an opportunity to give you a brief insight into this special event.
Established by the World Tourism Organization in 1980, the purpose of the World Tourism Day is to foster international awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The date, September 27th, was chosen as it marks an important milestone in tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970.
While this year’s official celebrations are held in Doha, Qatar, the WTD offers a unique opportunity for people around the world to raise awareness on the importance of sustainable tourism as a tool for development. The UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, states that World Tourism Day 2017 will focus on how the power of the tourism industry can make this world a better place and advance sustainable development in all its three pillars. Being the third largest export industry in the world, tourism does not only contribute to economic growth, it also has a crucial impact on the quality of people’s life and contributes to environmental protection and mutual understanding. The event also seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.
Ecotourism Australia is supporting the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by developing and implementing the following four initiatives:
- The Pilot Program Vanuatu Tourism Permit and Accreditation Program (VTPAP)
- The Ecoguide Certification Program Partnership (China)
- Ecotourism Destination Certification Program
- The 25th Annual Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference
For further information follow links or visit the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development website to learn about other initiatives.
We at Ecotourism Australia would like you to join us in celebrating the World Tourism Day 2017!
If you are undertaking any initiatives, events or projects, incorporating sustainability and tourism development we would love to hear about them! We invite you to send your stories and photos to us at eco@ecotourism.org.au, so we can share these amongst our World Tourism Day posts!
Visit the World Tourism Day website for more information and stay tuned for more from us.
References:
http://wtd.unwto.org/en/content/about-world-tourism-day-1
https://www.iaspaper.net/world-tourism-day-2017-18-27th-september-theme-slogan-quotes/