The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day celebrates the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world.

Celebrated on 27 September with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”, this year’s international day of observation comes at a critical moment, as countries around the world look to tourism to drive recovery, including in rural communities where the sector is a leading employer and economic pillar.

The 2020 edition also comes as governments look to the sector to drive recovery from the effects of the pandemic and with the enhanced recognition of tourism at the highest United Nations level. This was most notably illustrated with the recent release of a landmark Policy Brief on tourism from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in which he explained that “for rural communities, indigenous peoples and many other historically marginalized populations, tourism has been a vehicle for integration, empowerment and generating income.”

All around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunity, most notably for women and youth

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “All around the world, tourism empowers rural communities, providing jobs and opportunity, most notably for women and youth. Tourism also enables rural communities to hold onto their unique cultural heritage and traditions, and the sector is vital for safeguarding habitat and endangered species..”

In India, The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series titled “Rural Tourism: From Previous Niche to Future Norm” on 26^th September 2020 focused on the villages, people, farming, culture, and the idea of sustainability, responsibility, and community living.

This new & upcoming genre of tourism is permeating into the segment of the elderly for nostalgic reasons, and into the segment of millennials for exotic reasons. The webinar took us through the beautiful villages of India virtually to witness the paradigm shift in the space of tourism, through Rural Tourism.

The Sessions of Webinar are now available on the https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzIbBmMvtvH7d6Zo_ZEHDA/