On the ocasion of September 27th; World Tourism Day
According to the United Nations, a tourist is someone who visits a country other than their country of residence, provided that this visit is not for the purpose of employment or business and lasts a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of three months in the host country.
September 27th; World Tourism Day
According to the United Nations, a tourist is someone who visits a country other than their country of residence, provided that this visit is not for the purpose of employment or business and lasts a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of three months in the host country.
World Tourism Day
Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization celebrates September 27th as World Tourism Day annually. The charter for this day was approved by the United Nations World Tourism Organization on September 27th, 1970. The selection and approval of this day are considered a milestone in global tourism. The goal of commemorating such a day is to raise awareness about the role of tourism in the global society and to show how tourism affects social, cultural, political, and economic values worldwide.
What Is Tourism?
Traveling from one place to another and from one country to another without the intention of migration, employment, or permanent residence is called tourism. According to the United Nations, a tourist is someone who visits a country other than their country of residence, provided that this visit is not for the purpose of employment or business and lasts a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of three months in the host country. The traveler's journey can be based on one of the following reasons: leisure, relaxation, holidays, family matters, medical treatment, sports, religious activities, missions, or participation in seminars.
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for guiding the tourism industry. UNWTO serves as a platform for countries to discuss their policies and practical experiences in the field of tourism. It plays a central and crucial role in enhancing the commitment and capabilities of developing countries in the field of tourism.
Types of Tourism
Tourism can be categorized based on the purposes for which people travel, including:
- Recreational Tourism: Involves individuals or groups who travel for leisure, relaxation, and holidays away from their home country.
- Medical Tourism: Encompasses individuals who travel for medical and therapeutic purposes, utilizing climate changes and mineral waters.
- Cultural Tourism: In this type, people travel to explore the culture, art, traditions, historical sites, and engage in scholarly pursuits to learn about different cultures and civilizations.
Sporting Tourism: This includes any type of travel undertaken for sports activities such as mountaineering, hunting, participating in competitions, and watching sports events.
Business Tourism: This includes trips made by individuals for participating in markets, trade fairs, factory establishment exhibitions, and similar purposes.
Political Tourism: Traveling for the purpose of participating in international events, special ceremonies, congresses, and conferences is referred to as political tourism.
The Development of Tourism for Economic and Social Growth
Tourism has a unique characteristic that can be considered as a driving force for economic development in all countries. No country can be found that lacks the necessary resources for tourism development. What sets countries apart is their individual attractiveness as tourist destinations. Tourism programs in developing countries have received extensive support from various international financial organizations and development aid providers through technical and financial assistance.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has declared the slogan for World Tourism Day 2023 (September 27th, equivalent to Mehr 5, 1402 in the Persian calendar) as "Tourism and Green Investment" and emphasized increased and more targeted investment in three areas: people, the planet, and well-being.
According to UNWTO, traditional investment approaches solely for economic growth and efficiency have reached their limit, and now is the time for innovative and new solutions.
UNWTO explains the reason for choosing this slogan for World Tourism Day 2023 as follows: "Without a doubt, achieving sustainable tourism relies on sustainable investment. However, the sudden decline in foreign investment in the tourism industry from $48.5 billion in 2019 to $12.6 billion in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the suspension of many projects and regional initiatives, resulting in a 70% reduction in job opportunities during 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, investment in tourism startups and technology has also significantly decreased, reaching its lowest level in the past four years in 2022. Therefore, to harness the potential of tourism for flexible economic growth, accelerate climate actions, enhance planetary sustainability, and create comprehensive well-being through innovation and entrepreneurship, we need more substantial and more targeted investment in this field."
UNWTO also considers investment as a bridge between member countries, destinations, businesses, and private sector investors, emphasizing that investment in human resources and skills development, sustainable infrastructure, and green transformation of the planet is vital.
Areas of Tourism Investment
UNWTO has divided investment areas in this sector into the following categories:
- Investment in People: This focuses on professional training in the tourism workforce, especially hotel management, and equal educational opportunities in all destinations. Additionally, the future outlook for the global tourism workforce indicates a need for millions of graduates in hospitality annually by 2030. To take advantage of future job opportunities, professional training of employees is required.
- Investment in the Planet: Hotels are responsible for nearly one percent of the world's greenhouse gases and are heavy consumers of water and energy resources. Therefore, by investing in tourism infrastructure and startups with a focus on sustainability, it is possible to improve services while achieving sustainable development goals. Furthermore, investment in tourism infrastructure and sustainable development can enhance cost efficiency, achieve sustainability goals, and satisfy guests.
- Investment in Well-being: This category emphasizes the importance of investing in human resources to achieve comprehensive well-being, including health and safety, for tourists.
In this section, emphasis has been placed on investing in innovation and digitization to support global-scale projects and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, considering that more than half of the workforce in tourism consists of women, there is also an emphasis on investing in women entrepreneurs.