Rural tourism in focus this year

The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day, themed ‘Tourism and Rural Development’, will celebrate the unique role that the sector plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage.

Manas Dwivedi

Celebrated on September 27 every year, World Tourism Day is counted as one of the most important days for the industry. The 2020 edition also comes as governments look to the sector to drive recovery from the effects of the pandemic and with the enhanced recognition of tourism at the highest United Nations level. This was most notably illustrated with the recent release of a landmark policy brief on tourism from Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations, in which he explained that “for rural communities, indigenous peoples and many other historically marginalized populations, tourism has been a vehicle for integration, empowerment and generating income.”

For the first time in the 40-year history of World Tourism Day, the official celebration will not be hosted by a single Member State of the United Nations specialised agency. Instead, nations from the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Chile joining with observer status) will serve as joint hosts.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO, says, “All around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunity, most notably for women and youth. Tourism also enables rural communities to hold onto their unique cultural heritage and traditions, and the sector is vital for safeguarding habitat and endangered species. This World Tourism Day is a chance to recognise the role tourism plays outside of major cities.”

“Our sector is among the hardest hit with millions of jobs at risk. As we join forces to restart tourism, we must live up to our responsibility to ensure that tourism’s benefits are shared by all. Placing rural development at the heart of tourism policies can transform the livelihoods of millions, preserve our environment and our culture,” he further says. Moreover, development through tourism can also keep rural communities alive. It is estimated that by 2050, 68% of the world population will live in urban areas, while 80% of those currently living in ‘extreme poverty’ live outside of towns and cities. Young people in rural communities are three times more likely to be unemployed than older adults.