JMT 2022: Rethinking tourism for a more sustainable world, By Folorunsho Coker
As we celebrate this 42nd edition of World Tourism Day, it is within the framework of a reflection on the urgency of building a practice that respects the environment and has a future. The need for more inclusive, resilient and sustainable tourism is now firmly on the global agenda of governments, international organizations, businesses and local communities, and we all need to work together to mitigate the challenges and obvious concerns, in a way that preserves our planet.
It is a great pleasure to attend and mark the 42nd edition of World Tourism Day (WTD). It is a day set aside to raise awareness of tourism globally, while contemplating the various milestones achieved so far, alongside recognizing its importance as a crucial pillar of development, both here in Nigeria than in the world.
World Tourism Day provides an opportunity to come together and celebrate the many and varied achievements of our sector, particularly in its drive to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This annual event celebrated on September 27 has become a great platform for constructive engagement with all tourism stakeholders along the value chain and in different places around the world.
Of all sectors of the economy, tourism has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn has highlighted the critical need to transform the industry as tourism world is gradually recovering. Around the world, tourism has entered a phase of sustainable recovery, and it is quite heartening to note that this year alone, international tourism has returned to at least 60% of its pre-pandemic level. According to estimates from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals almost tripled in the first seven months of 2022, compared to the same period last year, revealing strengthening demand, travel restrictions travel being waived in many other countries (86 at last count).
The impact of tourism and the need to transcend it forever makes the theme of this year's event, 'Rethinking Tourism', fitting. It not only recognizes the relevance of tourism as one of the vital economic sectors globally, but, even more, seeks to reconsider the practice of tourism by prioritizing people and the planet, as it brings together all stakeholders – from governments to businesses and local communities – together to share a vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector.
While tourism remains the largest employer of labour, providing livelihoods to millions of people, especially women and young people across the world, with this comes the growing awareness that the ecosystem of this land we call home has become fragile over the years. Therefore, the set of activities that make up tourism must be more responsive to sustainability requirements, since the economic and environmental footprint of tourism is greater than that of any other sector.
It goes without saying that the opportunities linked to tourism are enormous. However, to fully utilize the potential of tourism for economic growth, we must also recognize that we cannot continue in old ways, and there is an urgent need to reflect and rethink what we do and how we do it.
We believe it's time to begin the transformation that the sector r...
As we celebrate this 42nd edition of World Tourism Day, it is within the framework of a reflection on the urgency of building a practice that respects the environment and has a future. The need for more inclusive, resilient and sustainable tourism is now firmly on the global agenda of governments, international organizations, businesses and local communities, and we all need to work together to mitigate the challenges and obvious concerns, in a way that preserves our planet.
It is a great pleasure to attend and mark the 42nd edition of World Tourism Day (WTD). It is a day set aside to raise awareness of tourism globally, while contemplating the various milestones achieved so far, alongside recognizing its importance as a crucial pillar of development, both here in Nigeria than in the world.
World Tourism Day provides an opportunity to come together and celebrate the many and varied achievements of our sector, particularly in its drive to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This annual event celebrated on September 27 has become a great platform for constructive engagement with all tourism stakeholders along the value chain and in different places around the world.
Of all sectors of the economy, tourism has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn has highlighted the critical need to transform the industry as tourism world is gradually recovering. Around the world, tourism has entered a phase of sustainable recovery, and it is quite heartening to note that this year alone, international tourism has returned to at least 60% of its pre-pandemic level. According to estimates from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals almost tripled in the first seven months of 2022, compared to the same period last year, revealing strengthening demand, travel restrictions travel being waived in many other countries (86 at last count).
The impact of tourism and the need to transcend it forever makes the theme of this year's event, 'Rethinking Tourism', fitting. It not only recognizes the relevance of tourism as one of the vital economic sectors globally, but, even more, seeks to reconsider the practice of tourism by prioritizing people and the planet, as it brings together all stakeholders – from governments to businesses and local communities – together to share a vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector.
While tourism remains the largest employer of labour, providing livelihoods to millions of people, especially women and young people across the world, with this comes the growing awareness that the ecosystem of this land we call home has become fragile over the years. Therefore, the set of activities that make up tourism must be more responsive to sustainability requirements, since the economic and environmental footprint of tourism is greater than that of any other sector.
It goes without saying that the opportunities linked to tourism are enormous. However, to fully utilize the potential of tourism for economic growth, we must also recognize that we cannot continue in old ways, and there is an urgent need to reflect and rethink what we do and how we do it.
We believe it's time to begin the transformation that the sector r...
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