World Tourism Day 2012 The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has chosen “Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development” – as the motto for the World Tourism Day 2012, observed typically on 27 September every year. Moreover, the year 2012 has been declared the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All” by the United Nations. The official World Tourism Day 2012 celebrations are taking place in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain, in parallel with a conference gathering high-ranking experts from the public and private tourism sectors with those from the energy sector. Incidentally, Spain was chosen as the partner country for this year’s World Tourism Day, especially in view of its record of having more than 20 per cent of its energy consumption derived from renewable sources.
The UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, while declaring the theme of the World Tourism Day 2012 has said that “the message at the heart of World Tourism Day 2012 is that these initiatives and commitments are not only helping to protect the environment, they are also creating economic opportunities and jobs for millions, whether in tourism, energy or other sectors.” Credits – India Tourism