The stage is set for World Tourism Day 2023 (September 27), and the official celebrations will be held on September 27 and 28 in Riyadh, centred on the theme, ‘Tourism and Green Investments’.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will present its Global Tourism Investment Framework and hold a series of high-level panels focusing on the challenges and opportunities surrounding investment in tourism.

The official World Tourism Day celebrations will also see the announcement of the winners of the inaugural UNWTO Women in Tech Startup Competition for the Middle East.

Set to be the biggest celebration so far, World Tourism Day 2023 will see representatives from more than 100 of UNWTO member states, including more than 50 ministers of tourism, in attendance. Joining them will be high-level representatives from tourism's private sector, both from the Middle East region and globally.

As UNWTO's member states mark the occasion in every region through a range of special events and programmes, the UN agency will continue to reiterate on tourism and green investments.

The day will focus on the importance of:

Investment for the people (by investing in education and skills)

For the planet (by investing in sustainable infrastructure and accelerating green transformation)

For prosperity (by investing in innovation, technology and entrepreneurship).

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "Tourism has never been more important for our economies or for our societies. Its potential is enormous. And so, on this World Tourism Day, we celebrate tourism's ability to drive growth while also highlighting the vital need for investments to ensure such growth is inclusive and sustainable." – TradeArabia News Service