Pretoria: South Africa will join the global community in celebrating World Tourism Day (WTD) at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Friday.
According to South African Government News Agency, World Tourism Day is an initiative by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) celebrated annually on 27 September. The event aims to highlight the tourism sector’s contribution to the socio-economic development of nations and the advancement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s theme, ‘Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,’ will focus on how the tourism sector contributes to driving sustainable and inclusive local economies. It will advocate for sector collaboration on transformative programs that create employment, entrepreneurial opportunities, economic growth, and vibrant tourism communities.
The Department of Tourism emphasized, “As one of the largest economic sectors in the world, tourism plays a significant role in creating environments that support innovation, transformation, and sustainable tourism communities, thus contributing to addressing the socio-economic challenges that impact global societies.”
South Africa’s celebration of World Tourism Day comes on the heels of successfully hosting the G20 Tourism Ministers’ meeting in Mpumalanga and the signing of the G20 Tourism declaration by member states. “These milestones echo South Africa’s and the global community’s commitment to achieving the UN SDGs by promoting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient tourism through digital innovation, tourism financing, air connectivity, and resilience,” the department added.
The World Tourism Day celebrations will be organized in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government, its tourism marketing authority, tourism stakeholders, and South African Tourism.