The 42nd annual World Tourism Day 2022 will be hosted in Bali this year. The event will take place on 27 September 2022 and will promote tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability. Created by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the event traditionally offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
“We are most delighted to be the host for the World Tourism Day celebrations this year,” said Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, in a statement published on the UNWTO website. “The pandemic highlighted the critical need to transform the tourism industry and now we finally celebrate World Tourism Day as the global tourism slowly recovers,” he added.
The event will be focused around a central theme – Rethinking Tourism – which encourages all industry players to start afresh and rebuild a better, more sustainable industry. “This theme aims to inspire discussions around rethinking tourism for development, explains Sandiaga Uno. “This includes education and employment, and discussions about the impact of tourism on the sustainability of the planet and various opportunities that can develop sustainably,” he added.
Indonesia’s tourism minister is leading the way in this new approach to tourism. UNWTO and Indonesia are united in their conviction that the post-pandemic travel era offers limitless new opportunities. As the minister puts it, “we, as hosts, must be able to agree with other countries that we want to present community-oriented, quality, and sustainable tourism,” he said.
World Tourism Day has been held on 27 September every year since 1980. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organisation in 1970, paving the way for the establishment of UNWTO five years later. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
The organisation has a vision for the future based on transitioning to more sustainable, equitable models of development, characterised by tourism operations and interactions that are respectful and beneficial to local communities and cultures, while also being supportive of circular economies and the environment.
World Tourism Day is traditionally an occasion that refocuses this message and helps tourism professionals to rethink their approach, with shared goals in mind. As Indonesia’s tourism minister puts it, “the time is now to begin this transformation.”
