World Tourism Day 2009: “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity”

World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on September 27, will be taking place this year in Accra, Ghana.

World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on September 27, will be taking place this year in Accra, Ghana. As part of the official celebrations, UNWTO will collaborate with the host country to organize a Think Tank around the 2009 theme “Tourism: Celebrating Diversity.”

This will be World Tourism Day’s 30th anniversary and presents an opportunity to highlight the wealth of cultural and natural diversity across the globe, as well as the role of sustainable tourism in preserving this diversity. Diversity has long been the driving force behind tourism which in turn has become an engine for socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, and international understanding. As world leaders come together to tackle the challenges of climate change and the economic crisis, diversity will continue to drive tourism, engendering international cooperation, and ensuring sustainable development.

Following the successful experience of previous World Tourism Day celebrations, UNWTO is organizing with the host, Ghana, a Think Tank based on the World Tourism Day Theme: “Tourism: Celebrating Diversity.” Bringing together leading public and private tourism stakeholders, as well as members of the media and UNWTO representatives, the Think Tank promises to be instrumental in raising awareness of the significance of diversity and sustainable tourism.

The Think Tank will:

• Highlight tourism’s capacity to maintain diversity in the face of globalization

• Outline how tourism can enhance cultural and environmental diversity

• Consider the role of tourism in engendering international cooperation

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.

World Tourism Day 2009 – tourism celebrating diversity

World Tourism Day will commemorate on September 27, 2009 its 30th anniversary in Ghana under the theme “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity.”

World Tourism Day will commemorate on September 27, 2009 its 30th anniversary in Ghana under the theme “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity.”

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) program.

The Ghanaian government has scheduled a series of forums and cultural events that will stretch through the week of September 21 and climax with UNWTO’s Think Tank and press conference on the September 27.

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 at the UNWTO website at http://www.unwto.org/wtd/.

Read the UNWTO World Tourism Day 2009 message at http://www.unwto.org/wtd/.

World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on September 27. 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.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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