In 1979, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) proclaimed September 27 as World Tourism Day, to commemorate the anniversary of the approval of its Statutes. The declaration of this day took place in Torremolinos (Spain). The Tourism Day is also considered appropriate because it coincides with the end of the peak holiday season in the northern hemisphere, and the beginning in the southern half.
Why is World Tourism Day celebrated?
Tourism is a sector that has been increasing in recent years. More and more people are venturing to visit distant places and integrate with the local people, discovering new cultures and new landscapes. Traveling has become a pleasure to which millions of people around the world aspire: adventurers eager for new goals, travelers in search of new experiences, photographers and in general, anyone on foot.
The reasons for this increase in travelers around the world are varied. We could name some of the most important:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized all workers the right to vacation.
- Improved working conditions in many countries.
- The middle class has increased in the world.
- Cheaper of transport.
- The use of new technologies makes information more accessible for travel.
- The tourism sector has diversified a lot in the 21st century, precisely due to this growth, and agencies specialize in adventure, photographic, relaxation, beach and other travel.
The impact of COVID-19 on tourism
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs are currently at risk. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) predicts a loss of 1.5% to 2.8% of world GDP. See the latest Report of the Secretary-General on the impact of the pandemic on tourism and the route to plan to achieve a more sustainable and inclusive tourism sector.
Ensure Sustainable Tourism
Also due to this growth, it is important to make the population aware of the need for sustainable tourism, which provides long-term benefits to countries and communities, helping development. The latest celebrations of World Tourism Day have focused precisely on sustainable tourism, with the slogan “Travel, enjoy, respect”.
Problems in some places due to the increase in tourists
In some large cities, tourism poses new challenges, since in certain times of high occupancy, the situation becomes complicated and many local residents complain about the problems caused by the lack of regulation of tourism in this regard. In addition, the low quality of certain tourist profiles damages not only the residents of the place but also the image of an entire country, such as the so-called “drunken tourism” in certain parts of Spain.
Tourism also causes problems in the most emblematic mountains on the planet, such as Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, or Everest, causing real traffic jams that have sometimes led to fatal accidents.
All this should make us reflect on the importance of establishing a foundation for the sustainability of Tourism throughout the world.
How to celebrate the Tourism Day?
The best way to celebrate the Tourism Day is to take a trip to a place that you want to see, be it taking the car, if it is nearby, or a plane. Plan a good trip, there is a lot of information on the Internet.
If you are not good at organizing it, you can also go to a travel agency, where professionals from the tourism sector will help you make a trip to suit you, like a trip to Perú.
And if at the moment you cannot have a few days to travel, reflect or share images of that place where you would like to go on social networks, with the tags # DíaMundialDelTurismo #ViajaDisfrutaRespeta.
Happy journey! Happy World Tourism Day!
