September 27th, World Tourism Day

In the opinion of the United Nations, a tourist is someone who visits a country other than the country where he or she lives, provided that the visit is not intended to be occupied and profitable, and at least 24 hours and a maximum of three months in the host country .

World Tourism Day

Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has been celebrating Sept. 27 every year as World Tourism Day. The Constitution of this day was approved by the World Tourism Organization on September 27, 1970. The selection and approval of this day is a turning point in global tourism. The goal of this day is to raise awareness about the role of tourism in the global community and to illustrate how tourism affects social, cultural, political and economic values around the world.

What is Tourism?

The phenomenon of travel from one place to another and from one country to another, regardless of the purpose of immigration, employment or permanent residence, is tourism. According to the United Nations, "a tourist is someone who visits a country other than the country where he or she resides, provided that the visit is not for the purpose of obtaining a job and for profit, and at least 24 hours and a maximum of three months in the host country And travel for one of the following reasons: recreation, rest, vacation, family affairs, medical treatment, sports, religious affairs, mission or participation in medications."

The History of Tourism

The history of tourism can be attributed to past. In the pre-Islamic period, some Greeks and Romans traveled to Iran. Some of them, like "Herodotus" and "Xenophon", wrote travelogues on the subject of visiting Iran. In the post-Islamic era, the first man who traveled from Iran to the west and wrote travel writings , was the Spanish Benyamin Teodla who, in 1159, Has traveled to various countries, including Iran.
In the past, men who had courageous in coping with problems for a long time in the deserts , and passing through high-risk routes to reach a city for a long time, called the saints, like Ibn Battutah, Nasser Khosrow, Marco Polo.
In the nineteenth century, the word saint was replaced by the tourist. At that time, French aristocrats traveled to complete their education and experience. These young people were then called tourists. Later, this term was used for people who travel to France for entertainment, spending time and traveling. This term was expanded over time to travel outside of France and was told by all those traveling abroad for their place of residence.
Historical information shows that travel for rest and recreation began from the beginning of the sixteenth century and cannot be considered the main motivation of famous tourists such as Ibn Battuta, Vascudogoma, Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, and so on, having fun and relaxation. These were professional tourists who had taken steps to explore several new territories, trade, adventure, the recognition of other nations and other nations, or pilgrimages.

World Tourism Organization

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), based in the city of Madrid, Spain, is one of the United Nations agencies responsible for the management of the tourism industry. The World Tourism Organization is the forum for countries to discuss their policies and experiences on tourism knowledge. This organization plays a central and important role in promoting the status of the commitments and capabilities of developing countries in the field of tourism.

Types of Tourism

Tourism, according to the excitement that people travel for, have the following types:

1-Recreational tourism

 individuals or categories that travel for the purpose of recreation, rest, holidays from their homeland.

2-Cultural Tourism

where people travel to learn about the culture and art and customs of different nations, historical works and scientific study.

3-Religious tourism

 The purpose of this kind of tourism is pilgrimage of holy places, visits to religious sites such as mosques, churches and temples, weddings, etc.

4-Sport tourism;

 Includes any kind of traveler for sporting activities, such as climbing, hunting, participation in competitions and watching competitions and ...

5-Commercial tourism

 such as travel for people to participate in the markets and exhibitions of goods and factories of factory facilities and the like.

6-Political tourism

Travel to celebrate international occasions and special ceremonies and congresses and conferences are called political tourism.

7-Health tourism

 Includes people who travel to use medical and therapeutic and mineral water for use in climate change.

Tourism Development for Economic Growth and Social Growth

Tourism has a special feature that can be considered as a driving force for economic development in all countries. No country can be found lacking the necessary raw materials for the development of tourism. What distinguishes countries from each other is by itself a tourist attraction. Tourism projects in developing countries have been widely supported by many international financial institutions and offices providing global economic and financial assistance through the provision of technical and financial assistance.