Thailand and Qatar have been selected as official hosts for World Tourism Day celebrations in 2016 and 2017, respectively, at the 21st UNWTO General Assembly in Medellin, Colombia on Thursday.
WTD 2016 will be celebrated under the theme “Tourism for All: Promoting Universal Accessibility” and WTD 2017 under the theme “Sustainable Tourism: A Tool for Development”, eTurbonews reported.
“I am looking forward to celebrating World Tourism Day in collaboration with these two prominent UNWTO member states: Thailand, one of the world’s most visited destinations where tourism is a rooted part of society and Qatar, a prominent emerging tourism destination,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai.
“Tourism must be in the forefront of national development plans. In 2017, we will arrange an event that will carry this message to the world,” said the representative of Qatar Tourism Authority.
“The Thai government would like to express sincere thanks to the assembly for the opportunity to host World Tourism Day in 2016 and we will do our best to live up to our slogan and show you the Amazing Thailand,” said the representative of Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Celebrated annually on 27 September, World Tourism Day aims to foster awareness among the global community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. This year’s event will be celebrated in Burkina Faso.
WTD 2015 will be celebrated under the theme “One billion tourists, one billion opportunities”, highlighting the tourism sector’s vast potential to be an agent for positive change in countries and communities across the world.
