Celebrating World Tourism Day 2022, Indonesia was Chosen to be the Host in Bali.

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced that World Tourism Day 2022 will come soon. This time, Indonesia was chosen as the venue for the World Tourism Day on September 27th, 2022. Taking place in Bali for the 42th edition, of course there will be a series of exciting activities considering the venue in Bali which is a pillar of tourism in Indonesia because it is very well known in the international tourism world.

This time, UNWTO will arrange the theme “Rethinking Tourism”. This theme intends to highlight the opportunity to rethink how we do tourism. It means putting people and the planet first and bringing everyone from governments and businesses to local communities together around a shared mission for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector. The event will develop around a multi-stakeholder panel discussion on “Rethinking Tourism as a Key Element of Recovery”, as well as a discussion on “The Tourism We Want”, led by local representatives from across Bali’s tourism sector. UNWTO Member States will be invited to strengthen the celebrations and key messages, while UNWTO will also promote the event and its central theme of rethinking tourism through its channels and partners.

Based on the World Tourism Day Concept Note, the background of this event is explained. It was reported that foreign tourist arrivals earlier this year had doubled from those recorded in 2021. In some areas, arrivals were already at, or even above, pre-pandemic levels. The lifting of remaining travel restrictions, alongside increasing consumer confidence, will be an important driver for the sector's recovery, bringing hope and opportunity to millions of people around the world.

World Tourism Day will be celebrated as a transition to tourism which is recognized as an important pillar of development and progress is well underway. May 2022 marked the first time the United Nations General Assembly held a special debate on tourism, illustrating the historical relevance of the sector. Tourism is now on the agenda of governments and international organizations in every global region. At the same time, destinations and businesses are proactively adapting to meet challenges and responsibilities, as illustrated by the wave of signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, spearheaded by UNWTO.

The theme “Rethinking Tourism” will reflect this. It aims to inspire debate around the rethinking of tourism for development, including through education and jobs, and the impact of tourism on the planet and opportunities for more sustainable growth.

The Secretary-General, UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili said that “World Tourism Day is a chance to celebrate the power of tourism. However, this year especially we also recognize that we can not go back to the old ways of working. We must Rethink Tourism. As the world opens up again, we must learn the lesson of the past. Through crisis we have seen where we can build more resilience. And also where we can deliver more fairness.”

As Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) of The Republic of Indonesia, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said “The pandemic highlighted the critical need to transform the tourism industry and now we finally celebrate World Tourism Day as the global tourism slowly recovers. As emphasized by the theme: “Rethinking Tourism”, I believe the time is now to begin this transformation.” He also appeals to all other tourism stakeholders such as local governments and regional tourism offices, tourism associations/institutions, tourism businesses/businesses, the media to participate in celebrating World Tourism Day in their own way.

Writer: Shesa Kurnia Ilahi