Sustainable biodiversity to be celebrated this World Tourism Day 2010

Read more about: biodiversity, China, events, sustainable tourism, United Nations, UNWTO, World Tourism Day

World Tourism Day – a thematic event held every year on September 27 – aims to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching these goals.

This year, the event will be hosted in China while under the theme “Tourism and Biodiversity” – providing a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism and the role of sustainable tourism in the conservation of life on Earth.

This theme is particularly pertinent in 2010. Concerned by the continued loss of biological diversity, the United Nations Assembly declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. The year coincides with the target adopted by governments in 2002, to achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss.

“Tourism and biodiversity are mutually dependent. UNWTO wishes to raise awareness and calls upon the tourism stakeholders and travelers themselves to contribute their part of the global responsibility to safeguard the intricate web of unique species and ecosystems that make up our planet,” said UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai.

While tourism is a key source of income and employment across the glove, it often provides strong incentives to protect biodiversity. Sustainable tourism can generate significant revenues for conservation and community development and help to raise awareness of biodiversity issues.

Intact and healthy ecosystems form the cornerstone of thousands of tourist enterprises and products worldwide, attracting hundreds of millions of tourists each year. As a leading economic activity, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological natural resources.

Sharing life on earth

Alongside examples from UNWTO projects, tourism stakeholders can upload their own stories onto the WTD website, thereby contributing to raising awareness of the importance of this year’s theme and promoting practical example of how to apply the principles of sustainable tourism development to biodiversity conservation.

A collection of the best inspiring stories will be made into a brochure and disseminated at WTD events later in the year.

Also, as in previous years, UNWTO is holding a global online photo competition to raise awareness of the World Tourism Day theme. UNWTO invites all to participate with photos that capture the strong link between tourism and biodiversity showing how tourism not only depends on healthy ecosystems, but can also contribute to them.

The deadline for participation is August 31, 2010. Winners will be announced in early September.

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