World Tourism Day 2022: “Rethinking Tourism”

The significant aspect of World Tourism Day 2022 was a positive development for both people and the world. The Global Day of Observation, themed ‘Rethinking Tourism,’ highlighted the sector’s unique capacity to spur recovery and provide good change for people everywhere.

The ceremonial events, hosted by the Islamic Republic of Indonesia in the famous tourist destination of Bali, brought together leaders from the public and commercial sectors, including the greatest and most diversified number of Ministers of Tourism in World Tourism Day history. Tourism stakeholders from across the world celebrated in their nations, uniting around the topical issue of rethinking and reforming the sector.

Opening the celebrations, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed the unique opportunity presented to tourism to pause, reflect and recalibrate. He said: “The restart of tourism everywhere brings hope. It is the ultimate cross-cutting and people-to-people sector. It touches on almost everything we do – and everything we care about. Tourism’s potential is now recognized more widely than ever. It’s up to us to deliver on this potential.”

Joining UNWTO in emphasizing the potential of tourism to deliver wide-reaching change, the Minister of Tourism for the Republic of Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno, noted: “The most important assets in tourism are its people and the planet. We must ensure the best support for both.” In Bali, UNWTO commended Indonesia for going beyond words and taking concrete steps to transform tourism, notably by becoming the first country in the Asia and the Pacific region to sign up to the ambitious Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and its goals to reach Net-Zero emissions for the sector by 2050 at the latest.”

Also adding his voice to the celebrations, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Tourism has the power to foster inclusion, protect nature & promote cultural understanding. We must rethink and reinvent the sector to ensure its sustainability.”