‘World Tourism Day 2018’ to Focus on Tourism and Technology

This year’s World Tourism Day, held on September 27, will focus on tourism and the digital transformation, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced on Wednesday.

World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980 on September 27, the day in which the Statutes of the UNWTO entered into force. Peace and Dialogue, Energy, Accessibility, World Heritage, Water and Tourism and Sustainable Tourism have been some of the topics tackled on the 38 previous editions of World Tourism Day.

Celebrations of World Tourism Day 2018 will take place in Budapest, Hungary and worldwide.

Innovation, digitalization top European tourism agenda

The announcement of this year’s World Tourism Day theme was made on the sidelines of the 63rd Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for Europe held in Prague, Czech Republic, during June 11-13.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and Czech Republic PM Andrej Babis.

During the meeting, the UNWTO stressed the importance of tourism and technology providing opportunities for innovation and creating the jobs of the future.

As UNWTO and its European Member States gathered to set the agenda for the region, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili described the organizations’s intention to make innovation part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector.

In a strategic discussion on innovation and the digital transformation, Pololikashvili made clear his vision to create an ecosystem of government policies, funds and strategic projects that nurture disruptive ideas and entrepreneurship, for which he enlisted the help of Member States and private sector members in the region.

“Together we can set a vision that considers tourism as a policy priority, a knowledge creator and innovator, and a sector of maximum value for all,” said Pololikashvili.