The tourism industry needs to build a “more sustainable sector for people, planet and prosperity”, Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO has said, announcing the UNWTO World Tourism Day, which takes place on 27 and 28 Sptember.
Business leaders from across the global tourism sector will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for this year’s World Tourism Day, which features the theme ‘Tourism and Green Investments’.
‘Investment in people and planet’
According to a statement, World Tourism Day 2023 will ‘examine the role of investment in people and planet to secure livelihoods and foster mutual understanding, while exploring opportunities to extend the reach of the industry’s economic and social impact to more people around the world, safeguarding prosperity for all’.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has predicted that the global tourism sector will make a GDP contribution of $9.5 trillion in 2023.
This aligns with the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) projection that the travel and tourism industry is steadily progressing, expected to attain 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels in the current year. Moreover, there is widespread anticipation that the sector will surpass 2019 levels by the year 2024.
World Tourism Day “also makes clear why UNWTO underscores the need for investment in education and for greater innovation as the foundations for long-term growth and transformation,” Pololikashvili added.
Sustainable development
Elsewhere, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, minister of tourism of Saudi Arabia, added that the industry has a “historic opportunity to chart a new course for the global tourism sector, centred on sustainable development, job creation, and economic resilience.
Tourism – as a catalyst for change – fosters mutual understanding, builds bridges and safeguards cultural heritage and environmental conservation, contributing to a more harmonious world.”
