Friday, September 27th, is National Tourism Day! On this day, we raise awareness for the role of tourism in the international community, and we demonstrate how it affects our community worldwide. In 2018, the theme was “Tourism and the Digital Transformation.” The ONWTO, the United Nations World Tourism Organization , the committee which started the event, promotes tourism as a contributor in economic growth. In fact, San Antonians do earn a lot of our money from tourists. They come here and contribute by buying souvenirs, staying in hotels, and going to restaurants.
Ecotourism, tourism that strives to build up “being green,” aims at respecting the local communities and traditions. By doing this, people hope to alleviate the exploitative aspects of leisure travel while benefiting , rather than damaging, the local communities.
One fun fact about this day is International tourist arrivals worldwide have grown from 25 million in 1950, to nearly 1.2 billion in 2015. Also, the UN General Assembly deemed 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
I can’t wait to celebrate this holiday now that I know more about it!
Leave a Reply