This year’s theme highlights tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead.

This year World Tourism Day 2013 is being held under the theme ‘Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future’

You can be part of World Tourism Day 2013 by follow the conversation on Twitter #WTD2013 and other social sites.

Official World Tourism Day celebrations will take place in The Maldives on 27th September, but UNWTO will be addressing the many links between tourism and water all year.

As the most widely celebrated global day for tourism, it represents a unique opportunity to raise awareness of tourism’s role in water access and shine a spotlight on the sector’s contribution to a more sustainable water future.

Tourism has proven to provide environmentally sound solutions, as well as political and financial support, for the conservation and sustainable use of water sources. But more must be done. With a record one billion international tourists travelling in a single year in 2012, now is the time to commit to a more sustainable tourism sector in order to protect our common future.

This year’s theme highlights tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead.