For more than four decades, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has celebrated World Tourism Day as an international observance on September 27. Identifying this day as tourism day helps the global leaders 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. Along with choosing the day, the laws was also adopted which is considered to be a milestone in global tourism.
A glance at history indicates that a Nigerian national the late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi was the one who proposed the idea of marking September 27 of every year as World Tourism Day. Justly, he was finally recognized for his contribution in 2009. On its General Assembly in October 1997, UNWTO decided to designate a host country each year to act as the organization’s partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day.
This year’s theme for World Tourism Day is “Tourism and Green Investments” which highlights the significance of making tourism more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The day is being marked on September 27 and 28 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with panel discussion. Some topics of the discussion include: The power of tourism: building bridges, Investing in our people: is tourism getting the right talent? Investing in our destinations: the potential of the undiscovered, Investing in our prosperity: bridging the innovation gap, Investing in our prosperity: powering entrepreneurship and the like.
Essentially, the panel discussion has aimed at calling the international community, governments, multilateral financial institutions, development partners and private sector investors to unite around a new tourism investment strategy and act accordingly. Moreover, the UNWTO states, “The organization highlights the need for more and better-targeted investments for people, for the planet and for prosperity. Now is the time for new and innovative solutions, not just traditional investments that promote and underpin economic growth and productivity.”
Unquestionably, tourism plays irreplaceable roles for mutual understanding and development; hence, it has to be cultivated to offer its full potential. Unfortunately, these days, both natural and man-made consequences are threatening many travel destinations and the survival of communities and economies. As a result, many developing countries and economies that depend on tourism are facing a growing investment deficit and a cost-of-living crisis.
Indeed, among these consequences, climate change takes the lion’s share. A research by University of Cambridge (2014) states, “The industry [tourism] faces profound impacts from climate change – impacts that are already being felt. As temperatures rise, the attractiveness of many destinations will fade. Winter sports will become less viable in some locations. Coastal tourism is highly vulnerable to rising sea levels. The natural phenomena that millions of tourists travel to see – coral reefs, forests, fauna-rich Savannah – will be degraded or destroyed. The sector also faces impacts of a more general nature: more expensive insurance (from more extreme weather), reduced water availability, reduced food security and greater conflict affecting some communities in which it operates.”
Cognizant of these impacts, the global community has decided to recognize the necessity of investing in green development on this World Tourism Day. Every government and businesses are earnestly demanded to invest in sustainable and resilient tourism practices.
Profitably, Ethiopia has been contributing a commendable share in this regard, investing green development. For more than a decade, it has initiated a green campaign every year when millions of seedlings were planted. As a result of this campaign, the biodiversity and ecological balance of many destinations could be protected. This certainly cultivates the full potential of sustainable tourism. More interestingly, Ethiopia remains to be one of the leading nations that are immensely investing in climate resilient green economy.
The Ethiopian Herald September 28/2023
