World Tourism Day 2020 – Official Message by the UN Secretary-General

Many millions of people around the world rely on tourism for income, especially women and young people.  People who might otherwise have been left behind have found decent work and the chance of a better life thanks to tourism’s unique potential.

Tourism has suffered enormously during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some 120 million jobs are at risk.  The impacts could lead to the loss of between 1.5 and 2.8 per cent of the global GDP.  This will particularly affect the most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States, the Least Developed Countries and many African nations, where tourism can represent between 30 and 80 per cent of exports.

As we look to recover from this profound crisis, the safe restart of tourism is essential, not least for rural development – the focus of this year’s World Tourism Day.  We have an unprecedented opportunity to transform the relationship of the tourism sector with people, nature, the climate and the economy.  We must ensure a fair distribution of its benefits and advance the transition to a carbon-neutral and resilient tourism economy,

As well as providing opportunities for people, tourism can play an important role in preserving our unique and shared cultures and protecting the biodiversity and the ecosystems that sustain us.

In this most challenging year, let us focus on tourism’s importance for people living in rural areas, so we can deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals to leave nobody behind.