“Tourism is today the third largest export industry in the world after chemicals and fuels,” Taleb Rifai said on Tuesday in a video message to the opening ceremony of an event held in Tehran to mark World Tourism Day, September 27. "Last year alone, 1.235 million travelers crossed international borders in one single year. By 2030, this 1.2 billion will become 1.8 billion,” Rifai added.

Coinciding with the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to be celebrated throughout 2017, the third International Congress on Ethics and Tourism will be held in Poland, on 27-28 April 2017. Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with the European Commission (EC) and the Government of Poland, the event will focus on the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in promoting a more sustainable tourism sector.

Tourism has evolved over the past decades into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world and a transformative force in global development. More than one billion people travelled the world in 2012. Tourism represents today up to 9 percent of global GDP in direct, indirect and induced impacts), 30 percent of service exports and employs 1 in 11 people around the world.