World Tourism Day is celebrated each year on September 27 to spread awareness about the importance of tourism and its impact on our society. The day is also celebrated to spread awareness about global challenges outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to underline the efforts the tourism industry can make achieving the sustainable development goals.
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the global body responsible for the promotion of tourism, has been celebrating World Tourism Day on September 27 since 1980.
The date was chosen as it was on this day that the UNWTO adopted its Statutes. The Statutes are considered milestones in the global tourism space.
The theme for 2019 World Tourism Day was "Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all" and the event was held in New Delhi. The themes are selected by the UNWTO General Assembly on the recommendations of the UNWTO Executive Council.
The UNWTO General Assembly, in October 1997 in Turkey, decided to designate a host country each year to act as the Organization's partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day.
Global tourism industry
The tourism industry has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world today. Over the last few years, the tourism industry has seen a tremendous expansion and growth. International tourist arrivals have grown significantly in the past few decades. It has now grown from 25 million in 1950 to 1.3 billion in 2019. The revenues earned have also increased from $2 billion in 1950 to $1,260 trillion in 2015. Tourism industry is estimated to be worth 10% of the global GDP and provides one in ten jobs globally. The UNWTO expects an annual growth of 3% in the tourism industry until 2030.
Tourism in India
In India, the industry is estimated to be worth $240 billion or 9.2% of India GDP in 2018. The industry provides employment to an estimated 42.6 million people in India.
In 2017, 10.04 million foreign tourists arrived in India, according to tourism ministry data.
