With regard to September 27, the World Tourism Day, high representatives of the United Nations, have sent the messages to the tourist around the worlds, pointing out once again the global significance and contribution of tourism in all spheres of social development.

Every year, celebrating the Tourism Day, we celebrate a certain topic, which is current and important for the promotion of the entire sector. This year, the UN World Tourism Organisation is promoting the values and potentials of tourism with the message “Tourism for All”.

The UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, in line with this year’s message, has said that the accessibility for everyone must take place in the heart and the centre of tourism policy and business strategies. “Tourism has faced a revolution in the past 50 years.

During fifty years of the last century, almost 25 million international tourists crossed borders annually; today there are around 1.2 billion people travelling around the world. Travelling has become a part of life for many people.

When we travel, we should not forget that travelling is not an easy process for everyone.

Is has been estimated that 15% of the world population are people with special needs. That is, my dear friends, about a billion people around the world who are not able to enjoy the privileges of meeting other cultures, enjoy the beauty of nature and be delighted with new places and sights.

Accessibility for all people should therefore take place in the heart and the centre of tourism policy and business strategies. And not only in the sense of human right, which is, by itself, very important, but also as a significant market potential and business possibility.

Having in mind the fact that the world population is becoming older, sooner or later we will all have the benefits from the universal accessibility in tourism.

Celebrating the World Tourism Day, we remind that all the peoples in the world have the right to experience the incredible diversity of our planet and the beauty of the world we have.

I am addressing all the countries and destinations, and the interested participants in tourism to promote the accessibility for all in their own environments, in the traffic system, public buildings and services in the field of information and communication.

I congratulate you the World Tourism Day and wish you all the future full of experiences from trips you are going to enjoy and which will enrich and amaze you”, stated the Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organisation Taleb Rifai.

The World Tourism Day in Serbia will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 27, at 12 o’clock, in the Museum of Yugoslav History, with the ceremonial awards of “Tourism Flower” awarded for a significant achievements in raising quality of tourism services and for the contribution to development, improvement and promotion of tourism in Serbia.