The 27th of September is an important day of the calendar, it is – World Tourism Day. It is celebrated since 1980 and was established at the Third Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Spain. Main aim of it is to show the importance of tourism spreading and draw attention of people, that tourism is vital to the world’s community and it influences a lot of parts of everyday life: cultural, political, social and economic.

It is not very popular holiday, I mean not everybody knows about it, but from my point of view it gains popularity each year. In October 2003 (in Beijing, China) was made a decision to follow geographic order while celebrating the World Tourism Day. Moreover, each tourism day has its own theme. The most unusual and interesting were: 1989 – Tourism: education for all, 1996 – Tourism: a factor of tolerance and peace, 2001 – Tourism: a toll for peace and dialogue among civilizations and finally, the 27th of September 2007 was celebrated in South Asia and its theme: Tourism opens doors for women (in Sri Lanka). It is aimed at emphasizing the achievements of women in the tourism industry.

As to major events in this day. Statistic data: already 56% employed in the hotels and restaurants sector (most of them in the Baltic States). Also, women earnings went high. Women became main representatives of tourism industry – they are qualified, diplomatic, experienced.