Tourism opens doors for Women

‘Tourism opens doors for women’ is the theme for the United Nations World Tourism Day which as each year will be celebrated on 27 September, the anniversary of the adoption of the original UNWTO statutes. Following on the ‘Tourism Enriches’ theme in 2006, this year’s campaign highlights the opportunities that the sector offers for women. This year’s host nation for World Tourism Day is Sri Lanka.

In the context of the UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, the Organization intends to join forces with UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) to enhance further the role of women in tourism.

The program will be prepared for World Tourism Day and launched in Sri Lanka. It will be reviewed annually through 2015, the year targeted by the UN to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Together with the Sustainable Tourism Research Centre in Australia, UNWTO will launch a new dedicated website, tourismgender.com which will focus its attention on the role of gender in tourism and how to enhance it, addressing women as agents of change in and for sustainable tourism.

In order to increase public awareness of the interrelation between tourism and its beneficial role for women, UNWTO will also launch an online photo contest to show women playing leadership roles at all levels within the sector. The 12 selected winners will be exhibited during the UNWTO General Assembly in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in November.

“With Sri Lanka as the Host Country and planned celebrations around the world, UNWTO is launching this new initiative to show the achievements, opportunities and challenges for women in tourism,” said UNWTO Francesco Frangialli. “By working closely with our sister Agency UNIFEM and using our Global Code of Ethics for Tourism as a framework, we believe we can help this industry make even greater contribution to the Millennium Development Goals.”

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