World’s Tourism Day is celebrated on the 27th of September every year since 1979 by the General Assembly of the UNWTO.
UNWTO is delighted to partner with the Hungarian Tourism Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to hold the official celebration of World Tourism Day 2018 in Budapest. Budapest is a classical European capital committed to the digital future which is the perfect stage for this year’s celebration of tourism.
In 2017 Hungary welcomed almost 16 million international tourist arrivals, 50% more than in 2010, demonstrating the steady growth of tourism in the country. By 2030, the country plans to invest EUR 2.7 billion to strengthen its sports, culture, and nature tourism offerings, as well as increase tourism’s share of national GDP from 10% to 16% and its number of employees from 364,000 to 450,000.
The theme for this year’s World’s Tourism Day held in Budapest, Hungary is ‘Tourism and the Digital Transformation.’
This event will address the global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will highlight the contributions of the tourism sector in reaching these goals. It will also raise awareness on tourism’s actual and potential contribution to sustainable development while providing a platform for investment, partnerships, and collaboration towards a more responsible and inclusive tourism sector.
The message addressed to the world by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Gutierres was about the wide reach of tourism into many sectors, from infrastructure and energy to transport and sanitation, and its huge impact on job creation, making it a vital contributor to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Therefore, Gutierres is calling on governments to embrace and support the use of digital technologies to harness the full potential of tourism.
‘‘On World Tourism Day, I call on governments to support digital technologies that can transform the way we travel, reduce the ecological burden of tourism and bring the benefits of tourism to all.’’ Said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
The UNWTO sees digital advances and innovation as a part of the solution to challenge the continued growth for a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector. This year’s WTD will help to put the opportunities like the technological advances including big data, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms on the map for a sustainable development in the tourism industry.
