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The 27th of September every year is celebrated as ‘World Tourism Day.’ There’s a reason behind choosing this specific date; this was the day, back in 1980, when the statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) were adopted. 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 colour of tourism day is blue.
Every year has a different theme and since 1997, there is a host country designated every year which would act as a partner to the UNWTO in the celebration of the World Tourism Day.
The most exciting part about this year is that the host country is India (happening in New Delhi) and the theme of this year is “Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all.”
The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.
Although tourism generates 10% of world jobs, it’s contribution in employment generation is often looked down at. There’s also a gap between what Tourism education teaches and what Tourism employers expect. Policies and measures have to be taken in order to fill this gap. These are some of the major issues that are to be discussed based on the theme of this year’s tourism day celebrations.
Also, this year 2019 marks the 100th year of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and they have released ‘Work for a Brighter Future: Report of the Global Commission on the future of Work’ addressing the increasing global unemployment. This report discusses about technology, climate change, demography as the characteristics of future work environment.
Tourism sector also faces a lot of problems in adjusting to the technological advancement. There’s a need to update the policies and regulations in order to support innovation, entrepreneurship and new business models in tourism. There’s very less awareness about the new technologies and less funding to invest in the research for new technologies that would generate a lot of new employment opportunities while sustaining the existing jobs. But it’s a highly people-oriented sector with the growth rates increasing faster than the world economic growth and international trade.
In the words of the secretary-general of the UNWTO, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvilli, “As we celebrate World Tourism Day, let us recognize the transformative power of tourism. Together, we can realize tourism’s potential to build a better, more equal future.”
