Travelling teaches us a lot more than any book, teacher, or institution! Visiting different places and countries exposes us to a whole new world and makes us see things from a new perspective. And World Tourism Day 2024 is focussing on this learning as well. Keeping in mind tourism’s impact on various global issues, the United Nations is focusing on world peace this year while underscoring the need to understand different cultures and practise sustainable tourism practices. Read on to know more about this year’s theme, host country, and more.
Everything You Need To Know About World Tourism Day 2024
Celebrated on September 27, World Tourism Day is an initiative of UN Tourism. This year’s theme is ‘Tourism and Peace’ and the host country is Georgia. According to the UN, tourism can be a “catalyst for fostering peace and understanding between nations and cultures.” Besides boosting the economies of the countries, tourism can also “bring people together.”
Talking about this year’s theme, António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, said, “Tourism brings people together. On this World Tourism Day, we reflect on the profound connection between tourism and peace. Sustainable tourism can transform communities – creating jobs, fostering inclusion and strengthening local economies. By valuing and preserving cultural and natural heritage, it can help reduce tensions and nurture peaceful coexistence.”
The World Tourism Day 2024 will be held at Paragraph Freedom Square, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Georgia’s Tbilisi. This year, World Tourism Day aims to explore the intersection of tourism and peacebuilding. The UN wants to highlight how travel, cultural exchange, and sustainable tourism practices can “contribute to conflict resolution, reconciliation, and the promotion of peace worldwide.”
Also Read: Discover Georgia’s Tbilisi: Your Ultimate Guide To Europe’s Cool Yet Culturally Rich City
History Of This Day & Why It Is Important
Since 1980, World Tourism Day has been celebrated on 27 September. It is held on the same day every year to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organization (1970). These statutes are considered a milestone in global tourism. The timing of this day is also quite appropriate as it comes at the end of the high travel season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the travel season in the southern hemisphere.
In October 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year to act as the UN’s partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day. The day is important to raise awareness about the role tourism plays within the international community. It also shows how tourism affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.
What is the most important thing you learned while travelling? Let us know in the comments!
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
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