“Tourism and Rural Development” celebrates the sector’s unique ability to drive economic development and provide opportunities outside of big cities, including in those communities that would otherwise be left behind. World Tourism Day 2020 also highlights the important role tourism plays in preserving and promoting culture and heritage all around the world.

Monday 28 September 2020 | 10:00 AM (GMT-3) - 3:00 PM (UTC +1)

Programme

Tourism helps rural communities hold onto their unique natural and cultural heritage, supporting conservation projects, including those safeguarding endangered species, lost traditions or flavours.

Zurab Pololikashvili,
UNWTO Secretary-General

Official Messages

For many rural communities, tourism means opportunity. It provides jobs and economic empowerment, including for women and youth. Tourism gives rural communities the ability to protect and promote their natural surroundings, as well as their culture and heritage. In doing so, it allows tourists to enjoy unique experiences. In 2020, World Tourism Day celebrates the sector's importance for those communities that would otherwise be left behind.

Official Messages

Tourism and Rural Development

UNWTO has designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development. This Year is an opportunity to promote the potential of tourism to create jobs and opportunities. It can also advance inclusion and highlight the unique role tourism can play in preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritage and curbing urban migration.

Technical Note World Tourism Day 2020

Tourism and Rural Development: Technical Note

Meet the WTD 2020 Hosts

For the first time in the history of World Tourism Day, the 2020 official celebration will be hosted by a group of countries and not a single UNWTO Member State. The cross-border cooperation of the MERCOSUR Member States (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, plus Chile, Member Associate) reflects the current need for international solidarity and cooperation. This is especially true for tourism, working together towards a common goal.

Meet the WTD 2020 hosts

Recommendations Rural Development

The UNWTO Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development aim to support governments at various levels, as well as the private sector and the international community in developing tourism in rural territories in a way that contributes to inclusive, sustainable and resilient development.

Recommendations Rural Development

Resources

Find everything you need to celebrate World Tourism Day, including social media images, graphics and logos

Trello UNWTO - World Tourism Day 2020

World Tourism Day 2020 Events

Events by the global tourism community on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2020.

All Events

Compilation of country and international policy responses aims to share and monitor worldwide measures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 crisis in the travel and tourism sector and accelerate recovery

Policy Measures

UNWTO COVID-19 dashboard on country measures to support travel and tourism is a policy tracker with up-to-date policy responses by countries and international institutions to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 crisis in the travel and tourism sector, restart tourism and accelerate recovery. Based on information from governments, international organizations and online official public sources, UNWTO has launched an online interactive dashboard on country and international policy responses to COVID-19 covering 220 countries and territories and more than 30 international and regional institutions.

This UNWTO COVID 19 policy tracker covers 220 countries and territories and more than 30 international and regional institutions. It monitors worldwide policy measures on aid and relief packages adopted by governments and international and regional institutions to address the impact the impact of COVID-19 and support businesses, jobs and households. The interactive map allows to search measures by categories (fiscal and monetary measures, jobs and skills, market intelligence and public-private partnerships, measures to restart tourism and domestic tourism) and by countries and regions. As the situation evolves countries start lifting borders restrictions and tourism takes steps to reopen, with policy initiatives increasingly focusing on measures to restart tourism. Among them, the COVID 19 tourism policy tracker includes examples of measures on health and safety protocols to promote safe, seamless travel and to restore confidence as key priorities for countries to support travel and tourism along with marketing and promotion campaigns to boost international and domestic tourism demand.