Every year, September 27th is observed as the World Tourism Day by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. It is observed so since 1970 and the purpose of celebrating World Tourism Day is to promote international tourism. It also lays thrust on the importance of tourism and the role that it plays to further development.
“Tourism for all – promoting universal accessibility”
This date was chosen for World Tourism Day since on sept 27, 1970, the UNWTO statutes were accepted. The theme for World Tourism Day 2016 is, “Tourism for all – promoting universal accessibility.” The main agenda of celebrating this day is to further tourism worldwide. In this manner, the nations around the globe are benefitted and so are its people. The current stats following the developments in tourism are tremendous.
France remains the most visited country this year as well. The most visited places in France are Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris, Sainte Chapelle and Arc de Triomphe etc.
The rankings of the most visited countries as per stats in 2016 are as given below
- France
- USA
- Spain
- China
- Italy
- Turkey
- Germany
- UK
- Russia
- Thailand
Developments worldwide
- The international tourist arrival grew by 4.6% in 2015 to 1,184 million.
- In the year 2015, international tourism generated US$ 1.5 million.
- As per the UNWTO forecasts, a growth of tourist arrival by 3.5% to 4.5% is expected in 2015.
- By 2030, UNWTO forecasts the tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion.
Developments in India
In past one year, the tourism in India has increased tremendously. Goa tops the list of the most visited places in India this year as well, followed by Agra, Jaipur, Kerala and Kanyakumari. From the year 2000, there is a 30% hike in the tourist arrival in Goa.
Latest Developments
- With the current pace, the total earnings are expected to increase to US$ 27 by 2018
- The tourism sector is expected to grow at an average rate of 7.5% p.a. by 2025
Even though great efforts have been made by the govt. to promote tourism, development lacks in certain areas. The main negative point is the ugly experiences of the female tourists in particular. The second problem is surfaced due to the lack of infrastructure. To culminate, the positive effects of the World Tourism Day subside the negative points. so, overall, India has benefitted from the celebration of the World Tourism Day.
