World Tourism Day 2009
World Tourism Day will commemorate this year its 30th anniversary in the vibrant country of Ghana under the theme 'Tourism - Celebrating Diversity'.
This year’s theme focuses on the world’s cultural wealth and the important role sustainable tourism plays in revitalizing local traditions and making them flourish as they cross other cultures.
A huge variety of local customs co-exist all over the world, be they languages, religions, architecture, food, politics or natural environments. This diverse environment has allowed the travel and tourism industry to thrive and become the largest single export industry and a leading force in the service sector.
Every region of the world is distinct and thus has something both to offer and gain through travel and tourism, particularly less developed nations. It is the responsibility of industry stakeholders to harness these opportunities whilst facing the long term challenges engendered by travel and tourism.
‘Tourism - Celebrating Diversity’ highlights this varied environment which is at the very centre of tourism.
Diversity has indeed been the motor behind travel and tourism for centuries.
It is our responsibility to promote the sustainable development of the industry whilst conserving the unique facets present on the globe.
WORLD TOURISM DAY
MESSAGE by Taleb Rifai,
Secretary-General a.i. of UNWTO Tourism:
Celebrating Diversity Ghana, 27 September 2009
World Tourism Day (WTD) will commemorate its 30th anniversary this year. The celebration will be hosted by one of our first Member States, Ghana, under the theme Tourism: Celebrating Diversity.
Diversity is one of the driving forces behind tourism and can allow all nations to share the numerous benefits brought about by building stronger ties with other countries. As such, tourism is an undisputed catalyst for building understanding, fostering social inclusion and promoting higher standards of living.
This type of unity and collaboration is increasingly important as the world comes together to face climate change and ensure sustainable development, particularly in the context of the current economic crisis. These worldwide partnerships allow for a more effective and global response to issues which concern us all.
Globalization must be understood as a means to improve economic collaboration and international understanding, but not at the cost of diluting the rich cultural diversity present in our world; in this respect, travel and tourism can and must play a key role. Tourism shares the social responsibility of promoting the positive aspects of globalization and as such must direct these global networks towards balanced and sustainable development.
It is against this background that over the years WTD has become a renowned event that has successfully addressed key, tourism related global socio-economic, cultural and political issues.
I am very pleased to be celebrating this year’s World Tourism Day in a continent as diverse as Africa, which has known how to valorize this diversity through tourism and which looks forward to achieving much in the way of sustainable tourism development.
UNWTO would like to thank Ghana for hosting this important event.
We all look forward to celebrating World Tourism Day with you!
Taleb Rifai
Secretary-General a.i.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
All around the globe countries, tourism enterprises and organizations celebrate the United Nations World Tourism Day (WTD) on and around September 27, with a variety of special events and festivities.
The following list of activities shows Member’s initiatives that have been carried out over the years to mark this day.
I. At national level
> Declaration of WTD as a “Special Day for the entire national territory”
> Heads of State and Government messages addressed their fellow citizens through the mass media on events to take place in their countries
> Conferences, seminars, competitions, academic presentations and awards to the best contribution on tourism in schools and universities
> Free entries, discounts or special offers for the general public to any site of tourism interest
> Distribution of promotional material prepared by UNWTO (logo, UNWTO Secretary-General message, brochure, video…) or by NTA on this occasion (stickers, flags, banners) at leading tourist sites Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals www.UNWTO.org Stickers handed out for WTD 2006 following the theme: Tourism Enriches. Madrid, Spain
> Special tours, fares and decoration for public transport
> Broadcast of the UNWTO’s Secretary-General message on the topic chosen for WTD through radio & TV, internet and NTA publications
> Special welcome reception for tourists during WTD with the cooperation of hoteliers, restaurateurs and tourist guides
> Awarding or presentation of Tourism Merit prizes or awards to eminent persons, professionals and the press
> Organizing train or bus trips aboard a former royal train or bus
> Organizing a competition to increase public awareness. Breakfast meeting for tourism stakeholders
> Publishing special issues or reports
> Poster and craft exhibitions A flyer, an exposition and a series of conferences were organized by Tahiti Tourisme.
> Parades or exhibitions focused on the national tourism resources
> Organizing National Tourism Awards Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals www.UNWTO.org Committed to Tourism, Travel and the Millennium Development Goals www.UNWTO.org
II. At local level
> Mayor’s message on the role of his/her town or village as a tourist destination
> Reproducing and distributing materials with the current WTD logo (posters, advertisements, etc.)
> Opening places of interest to tourism normally closed to the public
> Special illumination of the town or village’s main sites and monuments
> Festivals, processions, concerts, folk shows and gastronomic shows
The assistance of Affiliate Members representing local government, tourism associations and private enterprise is crucial on this celebration. They usually participate by:
I Announcing this Day on their websites or including a link to UNWTO.orgI
II Reproducing and handing out materials – posters, advertisements - with the logo chosen for this Day.
World Tourism Day will commemorate on 27 September its 30th anniversary in Ghana under the theme “Tourism - Celebrating Diversity”. It is an opportunity to acknowledge two of tourism’s major attributes - development and unity.
Other than adding perspective to the role of globalization in balancing tourism influx and environmental and cultural sustainability, this year’s theme also aims to shed light on the most human side of the industry – its capacity to build understanding, foster social inclusion and promote higher standards of living.
UNWTO Secretary-General a.i., Taleb Rifai, underscores tourism’s potential as a reliable job creator and contributor to economic wealth. “There is increasing awareness of tourism’s role as a productive activity and its undisputed potential to generate employment, government income and other benefits whether directly or through induced effects in the economy. Tourism is a global industry and as such has a responsibility to make positive contributions world wide.”
This year’s host is Ghana, one of the Organization’s first member states and a key player in UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism for Elimination of Poverty (ST-EP) programme. The Ghanaian government has scheduled a series of forums and cultural events that will stretch through the week of the 21st of September and climax with UNWTO’s Think Tank and press conference on the 27 September.
UNWTO is expecting high involvement of international tourism stakeholders from the public and private sector to participate in this event. Like every year promotional material and communication tools to commemorate Tourism
Celebrating Diversity are available on our website.
Read the UNWTO World Tourism Day 2009 Message. World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on 27 September. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contributions the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.
Fuentes:
http://www.unwto.org/wtd/2009/en/wtd09.php
http://www.unwto.org/wtd/2009/en/pdf/2009_SGMSG_EN.pdf
http://www.unwto.org/wtd/cehowto/en/howtoce.php?op=2
http://www.unwto.org/media/news/en/press_det.php?id=4321