World Tourism Day is 33 years old – many happy returns for a sustainable future!

We will be celebrating World Tourism Day tomorrow at SaveMoneyCutCarbon HQ – with all good wishes for a sustainable future on its 33rd birthday.

As Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations urges in his message for the global day of action and reflection: “I urge tourism establishments to cut consumption and improve waste management and I call on individuals to play their part by making environmentally conscious choices when they travel.”

The trillion-dollar tourism industry will be focussed today on one of our most precious resources – water. The UN-sponsored day’s theme is “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future” and meshes with the 2013 United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation.

There has been much discussion recently about the idea of “communality” and the tourism sector has plenty of that – servicing more than a billion traveller-visitors a year around the world and another five to six billion domestically.

And that movement also means the consumption of billions of gallons of water and very great impact on local environments. Not for nothing then that the Pope has urged hotels around the world to meet the urgent and complex challenge of water management.

The Pope says: “The sustainable management of this natural resource is a challenge for the social, economic and environmental order, but especially because of its ethical nature, starting from the principle of the universal destination of the goods of the earth.

“We are invited, therefore, to promote eco-tourism, environmentally friendly and sustainable, that can surely promote the creation of new jobs, support the local economy and reduce poverty. More determination from politicians and entrepreneurs is necessary.”

His message says that there needed to be “binding, specific and verifiable commitments” to ensure responsible use and just distribution of water, which chimes with this year’s World Tourism Day theme highlighting the role the sector in water access and ways it is planning for a sustainable future.

Join in the celebrations! You can take part in the WTD Photo Competition, add your thoughts to the conversation on Twitter (#WTD2013) and tell people about your sustainability plans. And if you want advice on how you can drastically reduce your business water consumption, just call us on 0333 123 5464 or write to us.