UN calls for safeguarding, managing water intelligently

September 27, 2013 - The United Nations chief is urging the tourism industry as well as individuals to safeguard and intelligently manage water. In a message for the United Nations World Tourism Day on Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon noted that unsustainable consumption and climate change are threatening global water resources. “Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future” was the theme of this year’s observance. Drawing attention to the current International Year of Water Cooperation, Ban urged tourism establishments to cut consumption and improve waste management, and also called on individuals to play their part by making environmentally conscious choices when they travel. “By making water saving a priority we can all help to build the future we want,” he added.
Water is one of the main assets of the trillion-dollar tourism industry, involving the movement of over one billion tourists a year around the world and another five to six billion domestically. The Sept. 27 World Tourism Day was established by the UN World Tourism Office (UNTWO) in 1979, and was marked for the first time the following year. (Source: UN)