World Tourism Day 2011 celebrated with Tourism–Linking Cultures as Theme

India Current Affairs 2011. World Tourism Day (WTD) is observed anually on  27 September. In 2011 WTD was celebrated with the theme Tourism – Linking Cultures. World Tourism Day (WTD) 2011 highlighted the role of the tourism industry in bringing together the cultures of the world and promoting global understanding through travel. Egypt was the host country for the official celebration of WTD 2011.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, 940 million tourists travelled in 2010 to a different country, coming into direct contact with tangible (art, monuments) and intangible (music,  traditions) elements of culture.

WTD 2011 aimed to draw attention to the importance of preserving and promoting the cultures of the world in all their forms. Culture  is considered to be a vital tool for the development of a sustainable tourism sector and therefore it ought to be managed and protected. The UN urged the incorporation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) in sustainable and responsible tourism development.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recognizes 27 September as World Tourism Day, a day dedicated to raising the awareness of the importance of tourism to the global community and its social, cultural, political, and economic value.

27 September was chosen as WTD as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

At its Twelfth Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in October of 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year to act as the Organization's partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day. At its Fifteenth Session in Beijing, China, in October of 2003, the Assembly decided the following geographic order to be followed for World Tourism Day celebrations: 2006 in Europe; 2007 in South Asia; 2008 in the Americas; 2009 in Africa and 2011 in the Middle East.