27th September to be observed as World Tourism Day

Aimed at fostering global awareness of the value of tourism, World Tourism Day will be celebrated around the world on 27th September.

World Tourism Day highlights the power of tourism for growth, development and cultural identity and is seen as a unique opportunity to raise awareness on tourism’s actual and potential contribution to sustainable development.

This year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) will help to put the opportunities provided to tourism, by technological advances including big data, artificial intelligence and digital platforms, on the map of sustainable development.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) sees digital advances and innovation as part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector.

In Australia, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) takes a lead in marking World Tourism Day, presenting its Prize for Innovation in Tourism Awards to mark the day.

This year, QTIC will be presenting World Tourism Day Networking Event and the Prize for Innovation in Tourism Awards Night at Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel South Bank to mark World Tourism Day’s role in raise awareness of the value of tourism and celebrate its 2018 Award entrants and winners.

The evening event will also celebrate the success of the QTIC Young Professionals Mentoring Program.

Initiated by the UNWTO in 1980, World Tourism Day is celebrated each year on 27th September as the date coincides with an important milestone in world tourism - the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27th September 1970.

The UNWTO believes that the date for World Tourism Day is appropriate because it comes at the end of the high tourist season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the tourist season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of topical interest to many people worldwide, particularly travelers and those working in the tourism sector.

For more information on QTIC’s World Tourism Day Networking Event and the Prize for Innovation in Tourism Awards Night go to www.qtic.com.au