India to Host World Tourism Day 2019

World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on September 27. The motive of this day is to spread awareness among the common people about the importance of tourism and its cultural, social, economical and political values.

This time, India has been chosen as the host country to celebrate World Tourism Day 2019 by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The day will be celebrated around the theme 'Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all'!

So, are you ready to rejoice it again with the same enthuse? Nevertheless, before digging into details, let us brief about what is tourism day and why is this important?

World Tourism Day: A Brief Background

As an international observation on September 27, the World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the organising body, which is responsible for the promotion of sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

On its 3^rd session of UNWTO General Assembly, September 27 was chosen to celebrate as World Tourism Day. The idea was to concur with an important milestone in the domain of tourism.

WTD seeks to address global challenges delineated in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and believes that tourism sector is capable enough to achieve those goals. Since the beginning, many countries have organised this day to celebrate the spirit of tourism. This year India has been chosen to have this honour as the host country. This year’s theme will be 'Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all'!

India and Tourism- Here’s What  Statistics Say!

 Tourism has a great impact on the Indian economy. Even the statistics say so!

UN defines 3 forms of tourism:

• Domestic tourism: Where residents of the given country, choose to travel within their own country.
• Inbound tourism: It involves non-residents, travelling for the purpose of leisure or business abroad
• Outbound tourism: Residents, who are travelling to another country.
• Indian Tourism has generated Rs. 16.91 lakh crore (US$240 billion) or 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 and supported 42.673 million jobs, 8.1% of its total employment
• India has whooping 2,68,86,638 foreigners footfall every year, where Maharashtra, Tami Nadu and Uttar Pradesh top the list keeping others behind.
• Maharashtra with 50,78,514 tourist visits tops the list, Tamil Nadu has secured the second position with 48,60,455 FTVs while Uttar Pradesh with 35,56,204 FTVs remains the third in the list
• The tourism sector employs more women and youth than most other sectors. Women play a comprehensive role in tourism entrepreneurship as the global figure shows 36% of women participation.

Tourism Globally!

The travel and tourism industry continues to grow at 3.9% while securing $8.8 trillion to the global economy as per the data collected by World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC). It has contributed 319 million jobs for the betterment of world employment. The total contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP in 2017 was USD8,272.3bn (10.4% of GDP).

Countries that Rely Most on Tourism

 As per the data of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 201 the countries that rely most on tourism are:

• Croatia
• Malta
• Thailand
• Jamaica
• Iceland

The overall GDP is as mentioned below:

Top 10 Countries with the Largest Tourism Industries

The above chart and table notify that tourism industry has seen continuous expansion and diversification over the past few years. It has become one of the rapidly growing economic sectors in the world, benefiting worldwide destinations and communities.

World Tourism Day 2019: From the Preparation Desk!

As the D-day is round the corner, we believe the preparation is going on full swing. Let’s skim through the complete list of activities and other important information about the day here!

World Tourism Day 2019 Registration!

The registration for World Tourism Day is going on. So, book your slot at the earliest and join the celebration. The registration can be done online by visiting the official website of UNWTO and providing the necessary information such as:

• Name of your country
• Full Name
• Type of member
• Delegation Rank
• Full Address etc.

After providing the above information, fill the questionnaire provided and click on the ‘submit’ button to register yourself.

On your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Are you all ready to celebrate World Tourism Day in a grand manner?

If you are nodding your head in YES, our next article is for you to World Tourism day 2019 guide through the various tips to ensure the most out of your India trip.

Be ready to enjoy your stay in the country with the richest and vivid heritage!