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World tourism day 2012
by The Ovi Team
2012-09-27 08:44:16 |
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World Tourism Day (WTD) is held annually on 27 September. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.
Establishment of World Tourism Day
 It was at its third session (Torremolinos, Spain, September 1979), that the UNWTO General Assembly decided to establish World Tourism Day, beginning in 1980. 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 timing of World Tourism Day is particularly appropriate in that it comes at the end of the high season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of the season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is on the minds of millions of people worldwide.
World Tourism Day theme and official celebrations
WTD is celebrated by events around the themes selected by the UNWTO General Assembly, on the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council.
While UNWTO invites people of all ages and backgrounds to hold and take part in celebrations in their respective country or holiday destination, official WTD celebrations take place in a UNWTO Member State, on the basis of geographic rotation.
Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development
Tourism today is at the forefront of some of the world’s most ambitious and innovative clean energy solutions: the aviation industry is implementing cutting-edge technologies to make aircraft lighter than ever before; commercial flights are beginning to use biofuels in their fuel mix; key card systems and energy saving light bulbs are increasingly being implemented in hotel rooms worldwide; and tour operators are asking for energy efficiency throughout their supply chains.
The 2012 theme for World Tourism Day is ‘Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development’. As the most widely celebrated global day for tourism, it represents a unique opportunity to highlight the steps taken so far by the international tourism community to power sustainable development.
The theme is also an opportunity to ensure international tourism continues to play a role in tackling the major energy challenges of our time, being addressed by the 2012 United Nations International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
Clean energy solutions in tourism are bringing the sector’s carbon emissions down, protecting local environments and communities, carrying modern energy services to the world’s poor, cutting costs for businesses and creating jobs and economic opportunities. But more must be done. With one billion international tourists expected to travel in a single year in 2012, now is the time to commit to a more sustainable tourism sector and a sustainable future for all.
This year's official celebrations will take place in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain and include a Think Tank on the 2012 theme with the participation of top experts and policy makers in the field of tourism and energy.
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