The United Nations World Tourism Organisation celebrated World Tourism Day every year on 27th September. India is the host country for World Tourism Day 2019. This year the program will be held in New Delhi, which has an array of historical sites including the World Heritage Sites, centuries-old monuments that are a part of the city’s daily life, diverse cultures, sprawling greenery, rich architecture and a famed cuisine.
History of World Tourism Day 2019:
World Tourism Day was first celebrated in on September 27, 1980. September 27 was chosen as World Tourism Day because it coincided with the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on September 27, 1970.
According to the UNWTO, World Tourism Day falls on a very significant day since it marks the end of the tourist season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the tourist season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of interest to many people worldwide. Every year this day celebrated a new theme.
Theme of World Tourism Day 2019:
World Tourism Day 2019 will be a celebration of ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’. Tourism is a major source of employment because of its labour-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors. It is estimated that one job in the core tourism sector creates about one-and-a-half additional or indirect jobs in the tourism-related economy. Overall tourism accounts for one in ten jobs worldwide.
The tourism sector employs more women and young people than most other sectors. Just under half (47%) of people working in tourism in European OECD countries are between 15 and 34 years of age, compared to a third (32%) of workers in the economy as a whole. In OECD countries, women account for 60% of employment in the tourism sector. This is higher than the share of women employed in the services sector (47%) and in the economy as a whole (43%).
The major ongoing changes and challenges around tourism employment require a new approach to skills development and education, policies for innovation and job creation. New policies are needed to maximize the potential of the tourism sector to create more and better jobs, while reducing the risk associated with an increasing skills mismatch.
This is the first time India that will be hosting World Tourism Day. Events around the theme ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’ will take place in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi from 26-28, September 2019.
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