Blog post written by Tour Spain
This month Spain joins countries around the world to collectively celebrate a special post-pandemic World Tourism Day. The day takes place on Tuesday 27th September, a day which has been observed each year since 1980 by the United Nations. In 2022, the official celebration will be held in Bali, Indonesia. The date reflects the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes, an event that happened in 1970.
The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day is around rethinking tourism and comes at a time when the shift towards tourism is being recognised as a crucial pillar for development is well underway. Tourism remains one of the world’s most important economic sectors, employing one in every ten people and providing livelihoods to hundreds of millions more. In Spain, tourism accounts for over 12% of our economy and tourism-related activities accounts for 40% of our employment.
The day marks a chance for us all to highlight awareness of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution that the sector can make towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. Globally, attitudes towards sustainable travel have shifted and Spain like many other counties has underlined a strong commitment to sustainability in this new post-pandemic era. This includes a €1.9 million investment towards Spain’s sustainable tourism strategy which will be executed in a three-year time frame, between 2022 and 2024. Many of Spain’s regions and cities are showcasing their commitment with a range of initiatives including Valencia becoming one of the first cities is in the world to acknowledge, verify and certify the carbon and water footprint of the tourism activity in the city. Meanwhile, other areas of Spain such as the Balearic Islands have funded many vital sustainability projects funded by a sustainable tourism tax.
The Spanish tourism strategy has a strong focus on regaining the trust and confidence from major tourism makers. The tourist office supports seasonal and geographical diversification and aims to ensure a reduction in tourism emissions, better waste and water management, the protection of ecosystems and the introduction of specific actions to mitigate the impact of climate change.
We are proud that Spain is joining forces with counties across the globe in a commitment to achieve a more sustainable future and are pleased to celebrate World Tourism Day as the global tourism sector continues its recovery.