World Tourism Day
27 September
World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated worldwide every 27th September.The mission of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values. WTD is commemorated under different themes on 27 September each year
since 1980 by appropriate events on themes selected by the WTO (World Tourism Organization) General Assembly. The World Tourism Organization is the leading international tourism body and a specialized agency of the United Nations with a seat in
Madrid, Spain. Its membership is comprised of 146MemberStates, seven Associate Members and more than 300 Affiliate Members representing the private sector. For more information visit:
www.world-tourism.org/wtd/eng/menu.html or
www.world-tourism.org The theme of this year’s WTD is
“Travel and Transport: From the Imagination of Jules Verne to 21st Century Reality”. Establishment of the World Tourism Day
It was at its third session (Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979), that the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) decided to institute, commencing in the year 1980.
WORLD TOURISM DAY is to be commemorated on 27 September each year by appropriate events on themes selected by the General Assembly, on recommendation of WTO's Executive Council. This date was chosen to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the WTO Statutes on 27 September 1970.
The main purpose of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.
The timing of World Tourism Day is indeed particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of topical interest to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide from all walks of life and to tourists and the operational sector in particular.
The Organization invites all interested parties to take part on 27 September each year in the special celebrations taking place in their respective country or holiday destination.
The WTO Secretary-General issues a message each year to mark the occasion.
Host Countries for the World Tourism Day
By resolution 376 (XII) adopted at its Twelfth Session (Istanbul, Turkey October 1997) and on the recommendation of the Executive Council, the WTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year as the Organization's partner for celebrating World Tourism Day.
1999 Chile
2000 Germany
2001 Islamic Republic of Iran
2002 Costa Rica
2003 Algeria
2004 Malaysia
2005 Qatar
Themes of the World Tourism Day
1980 Tourism's contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage and to peace and mutual understanding
1981 Tourism and the quality of life
1982 Pride in travel: good guests and good hosts
1983 Travel and holidays are a right but also a responsibility for all
1984 Tourism for international understanding, peace and cooperation
1985 Youth Tourism: cultural and historical heritage for peace and friendship
1986 Tourism: a vital force for world peace
1987 Tourism for development
1988 Tourism: education for all
1989 The free movement of tourists creates one world
1990 Tourism: an unrecognized industry, a service to be released ("The Hague Declaration on Tourism")
1991 Communication, information and education: powerlines of tourism development
1992 Tourism: a factor of growing social and economic solidarity and of encounter between people
1993 Tourism development and environmental protection: towards a lasting harmony
1994 Quality staff, quality tourism
1995 WTO: serving world tourism for twenty years
1996 Tourism: a factor of tolerance and peace
1997 Tourism: a leading activity of the twenty-first century for job creation and environmental protection
1998 Public-private sector partnership: the key to tourism development and promotion
1999 Tourism: preserving world heritage for the new millennium
2000 Technology and nature: two challenges for tourism at the dawn of the twenty-first century
2001 Tourism: a toll for peace and dialogue among civilizations
2002 Ecotourism, the key to sustainable development
2003 Tourism: a driving force for poverty alleviation, job creation and social harmony
2004 Sport and tourism: two living forces for mutual understanding, culture and the development of societies
2005 Travel and transport: from the imaginary of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st century
Retrieved from:
http://www.world-tourism.org/wtd/eng/menu.html