The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau which falls under the Ministry of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) is calling on the business community to recognize World Tourism Day (WTD) which is observed globally every September 27.
The theme for 2014 WTD is “Tourism & Community Development.” The theme selected is for the tourism sectors around the globe to place emphasis and focus on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with the skills to achieve change in their local communities.
Tourism plays a key role in social, cultural, political and economic value.
International tourist arrivals grew by 4.6 per cent in the first half of 2014 according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Barometer.
Destinations worldwide received some 517 million international tourists between January and June 2014, 22 million more than in the same period of 2013.
Growth was strongest in the Americas (+6%) followed by Asia and the Pacific and Europe (both at +5%).
So far, results are in line with the UNWTO forecast issued at the beginning of 2014.
For the full year 2014, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by four per cent to 4.5 per cent worldwide, above UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8 per cent per year for the period 2010 to 2020.