World Tourism Day 2024 to Focus on Peace

“Tourism and Peace” is the theme for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2024, according to the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism).

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

This year’s theme “Tourism and Peace” is particularly timely in light of the current global climate of conflict and division, according to UN Tourism.

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili released the following statement:

In his official message on occasion of World Tourism Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted that tourism brings people together.

“On this World Tourism Day, we reflect on the profound connection between tourism and peace. Sustainable tourism can transform communities – creating jobs, fostering inclusion and strengthening local economies. By valuing and preserving cultural and natural heritage, it can help reduce tensions and nurture peaceful coexistence.”

According to Guterres, tourism can also promote economic interdependence between neighbours, encouraging cooperation and peaceful development.

Georgia will host the official day on September 27, though all UN Tourism Member States, as well as non-members and stakeholders from across the private sector, are being invited to host their own celebrations as well as to promote the day and its central theme.

Press here for the events by the global tourism community on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2024.