The World Tourism Organization is celebrating its World Tourism Day today with the theme "Tourism and Sustainable Energy.” Madrid has been chosen as the venue of the celebration this year.
In a statement, the organizers said that this year's event aims to highlight the role played by tourism in the field of energy through access to modern energy services that are both effective and affordable.
Speaking on the occasion, the UN-WTO’s Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said in a statement that tourism plays an important role in many global initiatives in the field of sustainable energy.
He said: "In the framework of the ongoing efforts of the WTO in building and developing the contribution of tourism to a sustainable development, we are now celebrating WTD-2012 under the banner of sustainable tourism and energy as an engine for sustainable development."
He added: "Tourism occupies center stage in the global initiatives and innovation in the field of sustainable energy, increasing energy efficiency in aircraft, and the shift toward the use of renewable fuels in aviation and cruise ships and technological solutions for the energy in hotels, as well as several other initiatives, all of which put tourism in the forefront of the shift toward clean energy.
“Such initiatives do not work to protect the environment only, but also play a role in the elimination of the "lack of energy," one of the issues addressed by the United Nations for sustainable energy this year for the benefit of all, pointing out that the move aims to provide energy for all, thereby improving energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in global energy by the year 2030."
Rifai noted that sustainable energy initiatives in tourism leads to the creation of ample economic opportunities and job creation, whether in tourism or energy or in other sectors, adding that the research organization shows that the return on investment in sustainable energy is huge, allowing for tourism projects growth and job creation.
The official noted that with the increase in the number of international tourists in 2012, there must be greater efforts to achieve a brighter future for energy in order to accelerate the transition toward low-emission technology."
Sustainable energy focus of Tourism Day
