World Tourism day today

September 27 is celebrated as the World Tourism Day since 1980 by the United Nations. This date was chosen in as early as in 1970 by the UNWTO. For obvious reasons, the adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide. The other objectives of World Tourism day are to promote community development and sustainable development.

WTD 2014 highlights how tourism can be conducive to advancing sustainable development from the grassroots level, with the special focus on the community. Community based tourism involves the local population in the decision making process according to local priorities. The opportunity to become part of the tourism value chain actively involves host communities in the development process. Tourism thus becomes a catalyst of social cohesion, going beyond the immediate impact of job creation and its positive economic consequences and enhances, for instance, local governance capabilities which multiply the tourism impact even further. The official celebrations in 2014 are planned in Guadalajara, Mexico and include a high-level Think Tank on the 2014 theme with the participation of tourism Ministers, international experts and policy makers in the field of tourism and development.