September 27: World Tourism Day

Every year, the World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27. This year, the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) has designated 2020 year as the “Year of Tourism and Rural Development”. The day is celebrated to increase awareness on the role played by tourism sector in integrating international community. This year the day was celebrated under the theme

Theme: Tourism and Rural Development

About World Tourism Day

The colour of World Tourism Day is Blue. In 1997, the UNWTO decided to designate a host country to act as its partner to celebrate the day. However, this has been replaced this time.

For the first time in the history of World Tourism Day, the day was hosted by nations from the Mercosur Bloc. Usually, the day is hosted by a single member state of the United Nations.

Mercosur Bloc

It is an economic and political bloc. It includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The associate members of the bloc are Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru and Suriname. The main objective of the bloc is to promote fluid movement of goods, current and people and also promote free trade. The official languages of the bloc are Guarani, Portuguese and Spanish.

The Bloc was established under Treaty of Asuncion in 1991.

Significance

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, around 100 to 120 million jobs in the tourism sector are at risk.

World Tourism Day in India

The Ministry of Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day. The SAATHI Application was launched as a part of the celebration. SAATHI is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism along with Quality Council of India. SAATHI is Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institutes.

During the celebrations, the minister of tourism Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to adopt 100% clean fuel for prime tourist cities. This will help protect the monuments in the country and ensure cleaner environment.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020