World Tourism Day is commemorated each year on 27 September, with celebrations led by UNWTO. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the global community of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution the sector can make in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2019, in line with UNWTO’s overarching focus on skills, education and jobs throughout the year, World Tourism Day will be a celebration on the topic ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’. According to the United Nations, tourists from across the world have grown from 25 million in the 1950s to nearly 1.3 billion today. Similarly, revenue earned by tourist destinations from across the world has grown from 2 billion US dollars in the ’50s to 1260 trillion in 2015. The sector also contributes around 10% of the world’s GDP and 1 in 10 jobs globally. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO issues a message each year to mark the occasion and chairs the official celebrations. Various activities and campaigns have been planned to celebrate this day meaningfully across the nation. India has been chosen as the host country to celebrate World Tourism Day 2019 on the theme ‘Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all’.
