As the day earmarked to celebrate tourism in the world draw closer, we share with you the official message of the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ambassador Zurab Pololikashvili. This year’s celebrations will be held in New Delhi-India.

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’.

Below is the full text of the Secretary General’s Message on the occasion of the World Tourism Day

Tourism can help us build a better future for everyone. Around the world, the tourism sector is the leading source of employment, supporting many millions of jobs and driving economies forward, both at the local and the national level.

At the same time, it is a catalyst for equality and inclusivity. In many places, tourism employment gives women, young people and those living in rural communities the chance to support themselves and their families and to integrate more fully into wider society.

The true potential of tourism, both as a creator of jobs and as a driver of equality and sustainable development, is only just being realized. Providing decent work opportunities and contributing to developing professional skills are at the heart of this. Well managed, the continued growth of our sector will encompass countless opportunities and allow tourism to live up to its global social responsibility to leave no one behind.

Not one single economic, social or human activity prospers in isolation. For this reason, governments and stakeholders from the public and private sectors are increasingly working together to manage tourism in a responsible and sustainable manner and to ensure its enormous potential is properly realized.

Just as new technology is changing the way we travel, so too is it changing the way we work. Tourism is leading the way in providing workers with the skills and knowledge they need for the jobs of tomorrow. Embracing this creative spirit, including through effective collaboration with partners in the technology sector and in academia, will drive the creation of more and better jobs.

As we celebrate World Tourism Day, let us recognize the transformative power of tourism. Together, we can realize tourism’s potential to build a better, more equal future.

Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture, Government of India

India is pleased to host the official celebrations of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Day in New Delhi. The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day ‘Tourism and Jobs: A better Future for All’ is highly appropriate as tourism is extremely labour intensive and significant source of employment for many global economies. Tourism is one such activity which extends to various other sectors and thus is responsible for creating direct and indirect employment requiring varying degrees of skills and allows for quick entry into the workforce for youth, women and poor. The tourism sector, therefore, is not only an engine for economic growth but also an effective tool for poverty alleviation among the marginalised segments of the society.

We believe that the development of tourism is directly linked with community development. We want the local population to benefit from the development of tourism in their region and for this, we should focus on the development of soft skills among the locals.

In the process of job creation, let us ensure that our strategies for the development of tourism are not in conflict with the environment and have a minimal negative impact. When we talk about sustainability we should not only talk about conservation of resources but also our culture and heritage, which we have adopted in India through our Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, I would like to express my gratitude to UNWTO for choosing India as the host for this year’s World Tourism Day I am hopeful that together with the experts from tourism field, we will be able to highlight the challenges and opportunities of employment in Tourism sector and find solutions to the issues of employment in Tourism.

I look forward to receiving you in New Delhi!

Source: Voyages Afriq