Today marks World Tourism Day

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) established World Tourism Day in September 1979, with the celebration beginning in 1980. This date was chosen to coincide with a significant occasion in the history of tourism: the 27th anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on September 27, 1970.

This year, the official celebrations will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where UNWTO's Member States will mark the occasion in every region through various special events and programmes.

In a statement, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said, "Tourism has never been more important for our economies or societies. Its potential is enormous. And so on this World Tourism Day, we celebrate tourism's ability to drive growth while highlighting the vital need for investments to ensure such growth is inclusive and sustainable."

This year, UNWTO is emphasising on Tourism and Green Investments. The focus will be on the importance of:

• Investment for People (by investing in education and skills)

• For Planet (by investing in sustainable infrastructure and accelerating green transformation)

• For Prosperity (by investing in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship).

The UNWTO will present its Global Tourism Investment Framework in Riyadh and hold a series of high-level panels focusing on the challenges and opportunities surrounding investment in tourism.

The 2023 theme is all about the need for bigger and better-targeted investments in people, the environment, and prosperity. And for fresh and inventive solutions, rather than only traditional investments, that encourage and support economic growth and productivity.

The official World Tourism Day celebrations will also announce the winners of the inaugural UNWTO Women in Tech Startup Competition for the Middle East.

The theme is all about the need for bigger and better-targeted investments in people, the environment, and prosperity

On World Tourism Day, the UNWTO will welcome officials from more than 100 of its member countries, including more than 50 tourism ministers. High-level representatives from the tourist private sector from the Middle East region and throughout the world will join them.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has planned several events from September 25th to 27th, with a special focus on green investments and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the tourism sector.

The number of tourists who arrived in Sri Lanka exceeded one million on yesterday (26), indicating that the tourism sector is stabilizing once again.

Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Priyantha Fernando said there is a significant growth in the number of tourists arriving in Sri Lanka from Middle Eastern countries as well as countries including Spain, Netherlands, Belarus and Israel.

He said a special programme was formulated to facilitate the growth of tourist arrivals.