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It was at its third session (Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979), that the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNUNWTO) decided to institute, commencing in the year 1980.
WORLD TOURISM DAY is commemorated on 27 September each year by appropriate events on themes selected by the General Assembly, on recommendation of UNWTO's Executive Council. This date was chosen to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO 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.
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Safeguarding biodiversity is an urgent challenge that concerns us all -- the international community, governments, companies and travellers -- but it is not too late to act. The value of biodiversity for tourism is immeasurable. One of tourism's greatest assets, the diversity of life on Earth causes millions of people to travel the world each year. Yet biodiversity, the intricate web of unique species and ecosystems that make up our planet, is at risk on a global scale. Demographic pressures and unsustainable human activities are causing irreversible biodiversity loss at an alarming rate.
Recognizing the value of Earth's natural capital to its long-term sustainability, the tourism industry is called upon to protect and sustainably manage biodiversity. A healthy tourism industry depends on a healthy resource base, and sustainable growth in tourism means increased funds for conservation.
- Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, UNWTO
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 | "Tourism and Biodiversity"
2010 theme for the World Tourism Day is Tourism and Biodiversity.
2010 is also the International Year of Biodiversity, and the themes of tourism and biodiversity are intrincically linked. Biodiversity lies at the core of many tourism attractions - from forests and costal ecosystems to flora and fauna.
"There can be no doubt that tourism and biodiversity are closely interrelated.
Many tourism attractions are strongly linked to biological diversity, such as protected areas, beaches and islands, coral reefs, wildlife viewing etc. Biodiversity is thus a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth. ... " - World Tourism Organization
2010
Host country: China
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World Tourism Day themes since 2000:
- 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
- 2006 - Tourism Enriches
- 2007 - Tourism opens doors for women
Additional Resources:
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GDRC has been working on themes related to sustainable tourism, in its programme on Urban Environmental Management.
GDRC therefore reaffirms its committment to uphold the objectives of the World Tourism Day, and work towards better understanding of, and action on, highliting the criticality of tourism management for better gender equality and poverty alleviation. |
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