HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 27 (ACN) Juan Carlos Garcia Granda, Cuban minister of tourism, congratulated the workers of the sector to celebrate today the International Tourism Day.
The minister said on Twitter that in the new conditions imposed by the pandemic, they must work together for a higher quality and inclusive tourism.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the motto of this year’s celebration is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.
In this sense, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed on the occasion that the tourism sector influences almost every aspect of economies and societies, and makes it possible for historically excluded people and those at risk of being left behind to benefit from development that is local and direct.
This “continues to be hugely harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic: during the first five months of this year, international tourist arrivals declined by an alarming 95 % in some parts of the world, and it is estimated that by the end of 2021 there will be a loss of more than four trillion dollars in global GDP, he stressed.
World Tourism Day has been celebrated on September 27 every year since 1980 and the date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Organization’s Statutes in 1970, paving the way for the establishment of UNWTO five years later.
