Tourist watching elephants at Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in Mondulkiri, Cambodia

World Tourism Day

Animal Awareness Days

World Tourism Day began in 1980 and promotes ethical and sustainable tourism practices that ensure the well-being of tourists, local communities, animals, and the planet.

Let’s look at what World Tourism Day means for you and how you can celebrate it.

What is World Tourism Day?

World Tourism Day is a yearly event aimed at promoting awareness about the importance of tourism as a global industry and its social, cultural, political, and economic impact.

When is World Tourism Day?

World Tourism Day takes place every year on September 27th.

Why celebrate World Tourism Day?

Celebrating World Tourism Day helps us raise awareness about the impact tourism has on us and the world around us. This includes the economic impact across the world as well as moral, ethical, and animal welfare considerations.

World Tourism Day also challenges us to question our own travel habits. It encourages us to look for ways to experience wildlife in a way that respects the animals and their needs, protecting them where necessary.

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Learn more about Wildlife Heritage Areas: a global programme developed by World Animal Protection and the World Cetacean Alliance

What is wildlife-friendly tourism?

Wildlife-friendly tourism starts with recognising the sentience of the wild animals around us. Animals experience emotions such as happiness or anxiety. They can be relaxed or afraid. Some animals even try to hide their emotions, just like humans.

Sentient animals should not (and must not) be kept in distressing or painful circumstances for human entertainment. Wildlife-friendly tourism focuses on only experiencing animals in their natural state.

Wild animal tourism increases demand for the capture and trade of wild animals. To help dismantle the wildlife trade, only book with real responsible travel companies companies that boycott exploitative or harmful practices.

Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in Mondulkiri, Cambodia is a 4000-acre elephant sanctuary and eco-tourism programme that cares for 10 elephants and an entire community, including providing schooling and healthcare.

What is sustainable tourism?

Sustainable tourism focuses on ensuring we leave the places we visit unharmed. This means making sure that we consider the wider effects of our visit, including the economic, social, and environmental impact.

For World Tourism Day, try taking the next step. Rather than just avoiding doing harm, we can try to create a positive effect through our tourism. Research the area you want to visit or the animals you care about to understand how to help.

Visiting Whale Heritage Sites and Wildlife Heritage Areas is an excellent option. These are areas accredited by experts for their sustainability and focus on animal protection and wellbeing.

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How to celebrate World Tourism Day

Now that you know a bit more about wildlife-friendly and sustainable tourism, here are some ways to best celebrate World Tourism Day.

Learn more about animal sentience

Understanding animal sentience lets us understand the creatures we share our world with. It also offers a fascinating insight into the mental and emotional world of some of the most fascinating animals around us.

Why not look at some of the latest research into animal sentience for your favourite animals?

This blog post is a great place to start!

Follow the Wildlife Selfie Code

Selfies are a normal part of the holiday experience, but are your selfies animal-friendly? We’ve put together the Wildlife Selfie Code to help you promote animal welfare with your pictures.

Selfies should only include animals at a reasonable and secure distance and where they can move and act naturally.

Get involved with World Animal Protection's Real Responsible Travel campaign

We’re working hard to improve the effect of tourism on wildlife around the world. Join our Real Responsible Travel campaign to make a difference.

Choose travel companies that promote animal protection and real responsible travels and tell others about your decisions. Show these companies that animal welfare policies are essential for attracting customers like you.

Find out about more animal awareness days