World Tourism Day #WTD, has been celebrated every September 27 since 1980. However, this year is the first edition to look at how digital advances are transforming the sector into a more sustainable and technological area.
The objective of this celebration is to foster international awareness regarding the tourism, social, political, cultural and economic values established by the World Tourism Organization. In this 2018 edition, under the theme “Tourism and the Digital Transformation”, the UNWTO aims to highlight the importance of technological and digital developments for the sector.
It’s worth mentioning that this year’s WTD will mark the tourism sector’s beginning in contributing to the continuous growth in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals o be achieved by 2030, therefore, it’s of the utmost importance that the use of digital resources and innovation are sustainable, promote social inclusion and the consumption of local products and provide for local community empowerment.
Digital advances and innovation are now considered to be key elements to merge the development of tourism activities with the responsibility and sustainability of the sector.
This year’s WTD will explore the opportunities and projects provided to tourism by technological advances including artificial intelligence, data intelligence, application development and new technologies, platforms and digital networks.
The #WTD official celebration will be held in Budapest, Hungary, a country enjoying the steady growth of tourism backed by consistent policy support and a commitment to the digital future.
The official celebration will also see the announcement of the semi-finalists of the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition, which aims to give visibility to emerging companies with innovative ideas capable of revolutionising the way we travel and enjoy tourism around the world.
