27 September 2017: World Tourism Day

The United Nations General Assembly announced 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

Tourism contributes to all the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – and each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Not only does the sector spearhead growth, it also improves the quality of people’s lives. It can bolster environmental protection, champion diverse cultural heritage, and strengthen peace in the world.

World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on 27 September, presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the contribution of sustainable tourism to development among public and private sector decision-makers and the international community, while mobilizing all stakeholders to work together to make tourism a catalyst for positive change.

The theme for 2017 World Tourism Day is Sustainable Tourism: A Tool for Development.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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