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The World Tourism Day was designated by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNUNWTO) at its its third session (Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979).
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.
2026
This year, the World Tourism Day focuses on
"Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to redesign tourism"
This year's theme focuses on how technology and AI will transform future travel experiences. Proposed by the Executive Council of UN Tourism, this theme explores innovation in sustainability, efficiency, and customer experience. The official host is proposed to be El Salvador.
- Theme: Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to redesign tourism
- Focus: Embracing digital transformation and AI for sustainable, adaptive, and resilient tourism
- Host (Proposed): El Salvador
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Promoting and developing tourism with a view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity, and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is at the heart of UNWTO's mandate. Every people and every place possess a unique culture. Experiencing different ways of life, discovering new food and customs and visiting cultural sites have become leading motivations for travel, and as a result, a crucial source of revenue and job creation, particularly for developing countries. Income from tourism is often redirected towards the safeguarding of these sites and even the revitalization of cultures.
Ultimately, tourism is an economic sector based on human interaction, exchange and dialogue. WTD 2011 is a call to all those involved in tourism to act in a way that is conscious and respectful of culture, which promotes intercultural dialogue and ensures that local communities fully participate in, and benefit from, the development opportunities of tourism.
- Taleb Rifai, Former UN Tourism (UNWTO) Secretary-General
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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 to contribute to long-term sustainability and poverty alleviation. |
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