People have always wandered. It is enough to recall that in the early stages of the development of mankind, human tribes led a nomadic lifestyle. Later, travelers plowed the waves of the oceans, crossed deserts, overcame mountain ranges to reach foreign countries and lands. But all of them were driven by the desire to establish trade contacts or to capture and develop new lands. Such travels are difficult to call tourism. The first person we know that he climbed to the top of one of the Tuscan hills to just admire the surroundings was Francesco Petrarch in the fourteenth century. And in 1841 the first travel agency was opened - by the way, the same person, Thomas Cook, who introduced the traveler’s checks. But World Tourism Day came, of course, much later.
In the twentieth century. - with the development of transport, an increase in the well-being of the population and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle , a real travel boom has begun. More and more people were somehow involved in the tourism business. According to statistics, now one eighth of the planet’s population, able to work, is involved in serving tourists. And in some countries, tourism is an essential item of government revenue. Based on considerations of the development of the tourism industry, many governments make a great contribution to environmental protection and introduce tax incentives for tourism workers. Tourism is increasingly affecting economies and even the political regimes of different countries. Therefore, in the second half of the twentieth century. there is a need to establish Tourism Day as a holiday for people professionally engaged in the tourism sector. This day is celebrated by employees of travel companies, guides, museum workers, hotel staff, guides through the mountains. But this holiday is also not a stranger to all those who at least once in their life got out of their hometown to “see the world”.
International Tourism Day was established by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in 1979. The General Assembly of this organization gathered in the Spanish fishing town of Torremolinos to discuss the importance of tourism and to contribute to the development of this important industry, to strengthen the cultural relations of different peoples, as well as to promote the study of their traditions and customs, proclaimed September 27 as Tourism Day.
The date was not chosen by chance: on September 27, 1970, the charter of the World Tourism Organization was adopted in Mexico City, and in order to honor this important milestone in history, Tourism Day on the planet began to be celebrated on September 27. For the first time this holiday has been celebrated everywhere since 1980. According to the rules adopted by the WTO General Assembly, the main festivities are held every year in different countries. So, Russia became the mistress of the holiday and the venue for major events in 2003.
In addition, annually Tourism Day has its own theme. In 2012, the main official events of the festival will be held in the city of Maspalomas, on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). This year's holiday theme is the contribution of tourism to sustainable energy. The theme of this festival is directly related to its venue: one third of the territory of the island of Gran Canaria is occupied by a biosphere reserve, which is included in the UNESCO list.
But the brightest and most colorful Tourism Day is celebrated in the homeland of the holiday - in the town of Torremolinos. It is understandable: it was thanks to tourism that the deaf fishing village turned into a famous Spanish resort. The streets of the city are parades and processions in national costumes, shows, dances and theatrical performances with horses. Festivities do not pass by the local beaches - Cariwell, Playamar and Badjondillo, where locals on this day treat tourists for free with sangria, paella and fried fish in Spanish. And in the evening the night explodes with a bouquet of colorful fireworks.