World Tourism Day Celebrated Tuesday

September 27, 2005

World Tourism Day Celebrated Tuesday
September 27, 2005 – Tuesday is World Tourism Day. This worldwide annual event began in 1980 and is organized by the World Tourism Organization, a United Nations specialized agency for tourism based in Madrid, Spain. This day serves to foster awareness among the international community of the social, cultural, political and economic values of travel and tourism.

The theme for this year’s celebration is, "Travel and Transport: From the Imagination of Jules Verne to 21st Century Reality," in tribute to the great French visionary and writer. Verne was selected because of his vision of a future in which international travel was a major social element.

The host country of WTD 2005 is Qatar, the first WTO Member from the Middle East to have accepted this honor and responsibility. Celebrations will include Qatar’s first National Tourism Conference and a series of accompanying events. Speakers at the National Tourism Conference will include WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli as well as representatives of Qatar’s hotel industry, travel agencies and other segments.

"Transport has always been the lifeblood of the travel industry-and what better time to celebrate this vital relationship than in the year that marks the centenary of the death of one of the world’s great authors and travel visionaries," Frangialli said.

In his official statement, Frangialli added, "Travel enables us to enrich our lives with new experiences, to enjoy and to educate ourselves, to learn respect for foreign cultures, to establish friendships, and above all to contribute to international cooperation and peace throughout the world."