World Tourism Day 2025

World Tourism Day is celebrated every year on 27 September to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value. Tourism can contribute to the SDGs: through quality tourism training, which invests in education and skills; by investing in sustainable infrastructure and accelerating green transformation, including opportunities to decarbonize the sector and promote climate-resilient infrastructure; and through investing in innovation technology, and entrepreneurship that can upskill tourism’s workforce.

The World Tourism Day 2025 theme is “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”. This theme emphasizes the need for bold, urgent, and sustainable actions to ensure tourism creates opportunities and shared progress for people and the planet, aligning with the UN’s goals for climate action and socio-economic development. Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27. This date was chosen as on that day in 1970, the Statutes of the UNWTO were adopted. The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

At its Twelfth Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year to act as the Organization’s partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day. At its Fifteenth Session in Beijing, China, in October 2003, the Assembly decided the following geographic order to be followed for World Tourism Day celebrations: 2006 in Europe; 2007 in South Asia; 2008 in the Americas; 2009 in Africa and 2011 in the Middle East.

The late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, a Nigerian national, was the one who proposed the idea of marking September 27 of every year as World Tourism Day. He was finally recognized for his contribution in 2009. The colour of World Tourism Day is Blue. By this time, Nepal’s tourism industry is preparing to send a strong message of resilience and recovery on September 27, World Tourism Day, as stakeholders work to restore shaken investor and traveller confidence in the wake of nationwide unrest.

The tourism industry through the newly formed interim government led by first lady Prime Minister Sushila Karki is preparing to send a message that Nepal is safe to travel.

Moreover, The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), together with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and other partners, has begun live telecasts of iconic tourist sites, starting with the Pashupatinath temple area to gain the confidence of tourists. The initiative is primarily targeting Indian travellers, assuring them that Nepal remains safe and welcoming. With China reopening Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage for Indian tourists, HAN sees a crucial opportunity to strengthen religious tourism and attract new visitors.

The campaign follows devastating losses suffered by the hospitality sector during the Gen Z-led demonstrations and riots of September 8 – 10. Nearly 25 hotels across Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Bhairahawa, and Dang were vandalised or torched, with Hilton Kathmandu alone incurring damages of over Rs 8 billion. HAN’s preliminary estimates put the nationwide losses at more than Rs 25 billion. The cost of loss may higher than expected.

To rebuild confidence, HAN has urged the government to form a judicial committee to investigate the incidents, ensure accountability, and provide financial relief for hotel repairs and reconstruction.

Industry leaders have stressed that restoring confidence is vital not only for tourism but also for Nepal’s broader economy. For that a unified message across all channels is crucial.

With World Tourism Day is just at doorstep, stakeholders see the occasion as an instrumental moment to reaffirm Nepal’s resilience and send a clear message to the global community: Nepal is safe and ready to welcome travellers for a memorable experience.

Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal as one of the large sources of foreign exchange and revenue. Tourism in Nepal contributes about 6.7% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Nepal received a total of 1,147,567 international tourists in 2024, marking a 13.1% increase from 2023 and reaching 96% of pre-pandemic (2019) levels. This significant recovery was driven by increased visitors from countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, though Indian arrivals saw a slight decline. The Nepal Tourism Board attributed this success to enhanced marketing, strategic initiatives, and a series of promotional events. Nepal is a destination for mountaineers, rock climbers and adventure seekers. The Hindu and Buddhist heritages of Nepal and its cool weather are also strong attractions. Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, is located in Nepal. Mountaineering over the Himalayan mountains, trekking in scenic mountains and hills, visiting religious sites like Pashupati Temple, Bouddha Stupa, Swayambhu, Changu Narayan, Budhanilkantha, histocal sites like durbar squares with ancient palaces and templescapes in Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Lumbini, Muktinath, Pokhara, Chitwan, Bardiya and so many other places are the sites tourists enjoy. Moreover, adventure tourism and ecotourism are important attractions for visitors.