Tourism to promote environmental sustainability: Ban Ki-moon
Today, the World Tourism Day (WTD) is being held globally with 'Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development', as its theme. Under the auspices of UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the official celebrations are being organised in Spain's Maspalomas city.
THIS YEAR, WTD aims at highlighting the role of tourism for better access to modern, efficient and affordable energy services. According to the UN, this year's theme provides an opportunity to ensure international tourism continues to play a role in tackling the major energy challenges of our time during 2012, which has been declared as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
On the occasion of WTD, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message said, “One of the world’s largest economic sectors, tourism is especially well-placed to promote environmental sustainability, green growth and our struggle against climate change through its relationship with energy."
"Many in the tourism industry have already shown leadership in developing and deploying clean energy solutions, cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions in some regions by up to 40 per cent through initiatives such as the Hotel Energy Solutions toolkit developed by the UN World Tourism Organization and the UN Environment Programme. Other concrete advances include the growing use of energy-efficient fuels in air travel, sustainable procurement strategies and increasingly popular carbon offsetting schemes," added Ban.
While commending the tourism community for its growing commitment to sustainable energy, Ban urged all who work in and enjoy the benefits of the global sector of tourism to join in building a more sustainable future for all.
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