President George Manneh Weah has issued a Proclamation declaring Friday, September 27, 2019 as “World Tourism Day to be observed throughout the Republic as a Working Holiday.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, this year’s celebration will take place at the Providence Island, Monrovia, under the theme: “Tourism and Job: A Better Future for all”.

The Proclamation calls on citizens and foreign residents, national and international organizations as well as government agencies concerned to join the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism to plan and execute appropriate programs befitting the observance of the Day.   

The Proclamation urges Liberians to work together in making tourism a great market potential and a great business; stressing the importance of supporting tourism has become even clearer, and continues to crystallize today.

The Proclamation stated that Liberia looks forward to working closely with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international and regional organizations as well as other stakeholders to make this opportunity a success for all.  

The release further lamented that the potential for development as provided by the tourism sector is notable both in terms of jobs opportunity and of human, social and cultural advancement, adding that travel and tourism provide employment for nearly 300 million people in the world either directly or indirectly.  

According to the Proclamation, Tourism is considered as a special expression of social life with economic, financial and cultural implications as well as consequences that are crucial to individual and peoples.

The release says the desire objective of peace, security, social advancement and inclusion cannot be reached if we neglect the joint committee to ensure that everyone has dignified, fair, free employment built around the person and his or her primary needs of integral human development. 

The General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has declared September 27^th  of each year as “World Tourism Day” to  spread  awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism in order to strengthen social, culture and economic values, the Proclamation declares.

According to statistics published by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNWTO), at least one of the 11 jobs in the world is generated indirectly or directly by tourism, the Proclamation recalls.

These figures, which involve millions of people from all corners of the world, are on the rise and considering this flow, the dimension to encounter employment in the tourism industry appears encouraging, the Proclamation asserts.