Raising public awareness on World Tourism Day 2015

September 27th is World Tourism Day every year. This year, activities at the World Tourism Day celebration will focus on raising awareness and encouraging responsible tourism practices for everyone whenever they travel.

With the message "One billion tourists, one billion opportunities," World Tourism Day 2015 highlighted the potential that one billion tourists bring to socio-economic growth, comprehensive development, and environmental protection.

International tourists visiting Hanoi. (Illustrative photo: Huy Le)

In his message for World Tourism Day 2015, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai, emphasized: “Currently, more than one billion tourists visit international destinations each year. This one billion tourists has made tourism a leading economic sector, contributing 10% to global GDP and 6% to total world exports.”

Taleb Rifai also affirmed: Travel is not just about going to one place – travel extends globally. Every time we travel, we become part of a global movement, powerful enough to drive positive change for our planet and for everyone.

In celebration of World Tourism Day 2015, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, with technical support from the EU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Program (EU-ESRT Project), will organize a rally to commemorate World Tourism Day on September 26, 2015, at the Ly Thai To Monument in Hanoi.

Activities at the rally focused on raising awareness and encouraging responsible tourism practices for everyone when traveling. Highlights included hundreds of students collecting trash at tourist spots throughout the capital and a parade of electric vehicles around the central streets and the Old Quarter.

Established in 1960, after 55 years of development, the tourism industry has taken shape and become an economic sector with important contributions to socio-economic development. According to a report by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in 2014 Vietnam welcomed 7.87 million international tourists. Total revenue from tourism reached approximately 230 trillion VND, contributing about 6% to GDP. Foreign exchange revenue from tourism is second only to four export sectors: crude oil, textiles, footwear, and seafood.

According toCommunist Party of Vietnam