World Tourism Day 2009: “Tourism - Celebrating Diversity” Hosted by Ghana

World Tourism Day will commemorate on September 27 its 30th anniversary in Ghana under the theme ‘Tourism - Celebrating Diversity’. Other than adding perspective to the role of globalization in balancing tourism influx and environmental and cultural sustainability, this year’s theme also aims to shed light on the most human side of the industry –its capacity to build understanding, foster social inclusion and promote higher standards of living.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, underscores tourism’s potential as a reliable job creator and contributor to economic wealth. “There is increasing awareness of tourism’s role as a productive activity and its undisputed potential to generate employment, government income and other benefits whether directly or through induced effects in the economy. Tourism is a global industry and as such has a responsibility to make positive contributions world wide.”

This year’s host is Ghana, one of the Organization’s first member states and a key player in UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism for Elimination of Poverty (ST-EP) program.

The Ghanaian government has scheduled a series of forums and cultural events that will stretch through the week of the 21st of September and climax with UNWTO’s Think Tank and press conference on September 27. UNWTO is expecting high involvement of international tourism stakeholders from the public and private sector to participate in this event.

World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on 27 September. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contributions the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

Source: CaribbeanNewsDigital