The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has this year said that World Tourism Day places focus on Innovation & Digital Transformation.
They said that “The importance of digital technologies in tourism, providing opportunities for innovation and preparing the sector for the future of work, is at the centre of World Tourism Day 2018”.
World Tourism Day, celebrated every 27th September around the world, is a unique opportunity to raise awareness on tourism’s actual and potential contribution to sustainable development.
This year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) will help to put the opportunities provided to tourism, by technological advances including big data, artificial intelligence and digital platforms, on the map of sustainable development. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) sees digital advances and innovation as part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector.
“Harnessing innovation and digital advances provides tourism with opportunities to improve inclusiveness, local community empowerment and efficient resource management, amongst other objectives within the wider sustainable development agenda”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
Seychelles has used World Tourism Day 2018 to launch a Tourism Festival and it should help echo the importance of tourism for the islands and for each and every Seychellois.
Taking recognition of the importance of tourism, and understanding tourism is a constant challenge. This is why a moment of reflection during the World Tourism Day Celebrations to assess the successes and the challenges is also important. Today the tourism trade are using the Club Liberte Casino for their casual evening out amongst friends and colleagues and using it as their networking venue.
World Tourism Day is also the opportunity for the Government to take stock of their key players. recognising the Seychellois in the industry is an important start to ensure that the public / private sector partnership continues with new vigour. The Seychellois tourism entrepreneurs like Kathy Mason or Joe Albert, William Rose or Mary Geers, Robert Payet or Danny Loizeau, Christopher Gill or Jean Weeling or Sylvie Cardon amongst others are all partners of the country’s tourism industry and as such assets for the country. They lead the front line team n Seychelles and have the success barometer firmly in their hands. Staying connected and holding conducive dialogues with them all is a must and no longer an option.
Source: Alain St. Ange
