The travel and tourism industry around the world is currently a fast-growing economic sector. The growth and extraordinary expansion of this sector have been noticeable for decades. Almost every country in the world is paying special attention to tourism. How to make this sector more visible to people.
History of world tourism day
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is an UN-designated body that promotes responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide. This specialized agency has been celebrating World Tourism Day on September 27 every year since 1980.
The late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, a Nigerian citizen who proposed the idea of celebrating September 27 as World Tourism Day. In 2009, he was honored at the World Tourism Day event in Ghana. This day is celebrated to pay homage to the tourism industry and to encourage more people to travel. Blue is the color of World Tourism Day.
Tourism industry
It is impossible to describe it in one word. Its spread is huge beyond what we know. In addition to the social, political, and economic spheres, the sector is also encouraging very important industries such as railways, roads, aviation, shipping, restaurants, resorts, and hotels.
Until the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the industry was the sole contributor of 10 percent of the world’s GDP. UNWTO expects it to grow to 3(%) percent annually by 2030.
WTD 2021 theme
The theme of World Tourism Day 2021 is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”. This official event is going to be celebrated in Cote d’Ivoire/ Ivory Coast on September 27 this year.
All the countries of the world have suffered economically and socially due to Covid-19 Pandemic last year. People have been under house arrest for several months, many people have lost their livelihood and this has directly affected the tourism industry the most.
This year, World Tourism Day has been designated by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as a day to focus on “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”. UNWTO is leading the tourism sector towards inclusive recovery and growth this year. This is going to be a very important step for the resumption of tourism.
This year UNWTO has taken a photographic initiative and invited everyone to participate in this event. See Details
Every year a new theme is chosen to celebrate this special day in view of the future growth of this industry. Below are the themes from the beginning (since 1980).
| SL NO | YEAR | THEME |
| 1 | 1980 | Tourism’s contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage and to peace and mutual understanding |
| 2 | 1981 | Tourism and the quality of life |
| 3 | 1982 | Pride in travel: good guests and good hosts |
| 4 | 1983 | Travel and holidays are a right but also a responsibility for all |
| 5 | 1984 | Tourism for international understanding, peace and cooperation |
| 6 | 1985 | Youth Tourism: cultural and historical heritage for peace and friendship |
| 7 | 1986 | Tourism: a vital force for world peace |
| 8 | 1987 | Tourism for development |
| 9 | 1988 | Tourism: education for all |
| 10 | 1989 | Tourism: an unrecognized industry, a service to be released |
| 11 | 1990 | Tourism: an unrecognized industry, a service to be released |
| 12 | 1991 | Communication, information and education: power lines of tourism development |
| 13 | 1992 | Tourism: a factor of growing social and economic solidarity and of the encounter between people |
| 14 | 1993 | Tourism development and environmental protection: towards a lasting harmony |
| 15 | 1994 | Quality staff, quality tourism |
| 16 | 1995 | WTO: serving world tourism for twenty years |
| 17 | 1996 | Tourism: a factor of tolerance and peace |
| 18 | 1997 | Tourism: a leading activity of the twenty-first century for job creation and environmental protection |
| 19 | 1998 | Public-private sector partnership: the key to tourism development and promotion |
| 20 | 1999 | Tourism: preserving world heritage for the new millennium |
| 21 | 2000 | Technology and nature: two challenges for tourism at the dawn of the twenty-first century |
| 22 | 2001 | Tourism: a tool for peace and dialogue among civilizations |
| 23 | 2002 | Ecotourism, the key to sustainable development |
| 24 | 2003 | Tourism: a driving force for poverty alleviation, job creation and social harmony |
| 25 | 2004 | Sport and tourism: two living forces for mutual understanding, culture and the development of societies |
| 26 | 2005 | Travel and transport: from the imaginary of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st century |
| 27 | 2006 | Tourism Enriches |
| 28 | 2007 | Tourism Opens Doors for Women |
| 29 | 2008 | Tourism: Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change |
| 30 | 2009 | Celebrating Diversity |
| 31 | 2010 | Tourism and Biodiversity |
| 32 | 2011 | Tourism – Linking Cultures |
| 33 | 2012 | Powering Sustainable Development |
| 34 | 2013 | Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future |
| 35 | 2014 | Tourism and Community Development |
| 36 | 2015 | 1 Billion Tourists 1 Billion Opportunities |
| 37 | 2016 | Promoting Universal Accessibility |
| 38 | 2017 | Sustainable Tourism – A Tool for Development |
| 39 | 2018 | Sustainability & digital transformation in tourism |
| 40 | 2019 | Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all |
| 41 | 2020 | Tourism and Rural Development |
| 42 | 2021 | Tourism for Inclusive Growth |
We got a detailed idea about World Tourism Day. In the coming days, we have to get out of this pandemic state and take our tourism to that height again. We all love to travel. We will all be celebrating World Tourism Day this year to resume tourism.
I would request everyone to plan the trip to the destination of their choice and if the situation is normal, follow the necessary rules and go on the trip.
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