World Tourism Day 2011 takes places on 27 September, and will run under the theme: ‘Tourism – Linking Cultures’. Aswan will play host to a range of events, and talks by senior tourism officials examining how the tourism industry is meeting the UN World Tourism Organisation’s goals on responsible tourism.

The Egyptian city of Aswan will host the official 2011 World Tourism Day celebrations, which will include a high-level think tank on this year’s theme: ‘Tourism – Linking Cultures’. Illustrating a remarkable turnaround for the Egyptian tourism industry following the political unrest seen earlier in the year, World Travel Awards has also confirmed it will host its annual Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony in the country in September.

As the world comes together to celebrate 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, UNWTO is happy to announce that the World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations, hosted officially this year by China, will take place under the theme, “Tourism and Biodiversity” (September 27, Guangdong Province).