World Tourism Day is an annual celebration initiated by UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation), which aims to create an international awareness of the role and value of tourism with regard to social, economic and environmental factors. The chosen theme provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the role of sustainable tourism in future development and the conservation of life.
This year's annual UNWTO World Tourism Day celebrations will be hosted in China's Guangdong Province, with smaller regional events and awareness projects scheduled worldwide - including the Mother City. Cape Town Tourism's answer to the Tourism and Biodiversity theme is a project called My Cape Town. Capetonians, and visiting travellers, will be encouraged to explore Cape Town's biodiversity and learn something new about the city in September.
The peak of the campaign is the My Cape Town Weekend, which falls on the long weekend of Friday, 24 September (Heritage Day) to Monday, 27 September (UNWTO World Tourism Day). The many specials and events on offer provide the opportunity for locals to be tourists in their own city. All details will be posted on www.capetown.travel/mycapetown on 1 September, 2010.
The theme of biodiversity is one that speaks directly to Cape Town, relying, as it does, so heavily on its natural and cultural resources to attract visitors. "Biodiversity is a large part of what makes Cape Town a beautiful and authentic place," said the CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariette du-Toit Helmbold. "Tourism has the potential to create innumerable jobs and contribute to community development in general. Within this growth, it is important that our natural resources and communities are adequately protected and regenerated. With this World Tourism Month's focus on biodiversity, now is the time to examine what we can do for our environment and our fellow human beings and to celebrate the exceptional city that is our heritage."
Biodiversity can be defined as the variety of life around us - from the largest animal and the smallest plant to the whole of humankind. In Cape Town, this definition applies to the city's rich fauna and floristic variety, as well as to our many cultures.
For more information on World Tourism Day, go to www.unwto.org/worldtourismday
For more information on the International Year of Biodiversity, go to www.cbd.int/2010/welcome.
For more information on responsible tourism in Cape Town, go to www.capetown.travel/responsibletourism.
