This years event theme is 'Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change.'

Since 1980, September 27 is celebrated by the World Tourism Organization as World Tourism Day.

The World Tourism Day was established at the Third Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Torremolinos, Spain, in September of 1979.

The purpose of World Tourism Day is to display awareness that tourism is vital to the international community and to show how it affects the social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

September 27 is important since on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the WTO were adopted.

The adoption of the statutes is considered to be a milestone in global tourism.

At its Twelfth Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in October of 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year as the Organization's partner for celebrating World Tourism Day.

At its Fifteenth Session in Beijing, China, in October of 2003, the Assembly decided the following geographic order to be followed for the World Tourism Day celebrations: 2006 in Europe; 2007 in South Asia; 2008 in America.

And in 2009 the continent of Africa will have the privilege to play host to this well acclaimed event.

World Tourism Day:

Date: 27 September 2008
Location: World Wide

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