The theme of World Tourism Day 2023 was chosen as “Tourism and Green Investment” to emphasize the need to increase investment in tourism towards sustainable development and prosperity.
World Tourism Day is a global event held on September 27 every year with the aim of raising awareness of the international community about the role, position and importance of tourism in cultural, economic, social and political life.
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| World Tourism Day 2023 aims to call for increased investment in tourism to meet the requirements of sustainable development in the new situation. (Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism ) |
Tourism is recognized as an important economic sector in the world. In 2019, the total number of international tourists worldwide reached nearly 1.5 billion, the total revenue from international tourists reached about 1.9 trillion USD, tourism created 1/10 of the world's jobs.
With these contributions, tourism has always been considered an important driving force for global economic growth.
In the context of the tourism industry trying to accelerate recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has chosen the theme of World Tourism Day 2023 as "Tourism and Green Investment" to call for increased investment in tourism to meet the requirements of sustainable development in the new situation.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said tourism has the potential to contribute to solving some of the world's biggest challenges today, such as climate change, and contribute to transforming the development model to be more sustainable.
Affirming that tourism has great power, the UNWTO Secretary General also emphasized: “That power does not come naturally. On the contrary, tourism needs to be supported, first of all, it needs to be invested in.”
“We need to rethink the way we invest in tourism, creating more favorable conditions to attract investment in tourism projects with great potential to make a difference,” Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili suggested.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said that today, climate change is threatening many tourist destinations as well as the survival of communities and economies that depend on tourism. Many developing countries heavily affected by climate change are also facing a decline in investment and an increase in the cost of living.
The UN noted that the theme of World Tourism Day 2023 is very relevant in the current situation, noting the need for green investment to build a tourism industry that benefits people and the planet.
On this occasion, the United Nations Secretary-General called on governments and businesses to increase investment in sustainable tourism activities.
The private sector needs to embrace net zero emissions, reduce energy consumption and leverage renewable energy. Communities need to work together to protect biodiversity and ecological balance in all destinations.
“Investing in sustainable tourism is investing in a better future for everyone,” stressed Mr. António Guterres.
This year, the World Tourism Day celebration will be held on September 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the invitation of the Saudi Arabian Minister of Tourism, a delegation from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will attend the celebration in this country. Attending the celebration of World Tourism Day 2023 with the theme "Tourism and Green Investment" is an opportunity for Vietnam to affirm to the international community its goals and commitments to develop tourism in a green and sustainable direction as stated in national tourism development projects and strategies. In the past two years, Vietnam has chosen the theme of green tourism for the National Tourism Year. In particular, the National Tourism Year 2022 has the theme "Quang Nam - Green Tourism Destination" and the National Tourism Year 2023 has the theme "Binh Thuan - Green Convergence". This is a message that affirms the consistent policy and direction of unified action, connecting all localities, destinations, businesses and stakeholders in the industry to develop tourism in a green and sustainable direction in the new era. |
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