The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) celebrates the World Tourism Day annually on September 27th since 1979 and World Tourism Day 2011 will take place under the theme “Tourism - Linking Cultures” to highlight the role in bringing cultures of the world together and promoting global understanding through travel and tourism opportunities on earth.

Mongolia began celebrating the day since 2007 and the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism of Mongolia along with the Mongolian National Tourism Center will organize the World Tourism Day 2011 in close cooperation with the Governmental Organizations and NGO’s with broad prospects across the country. For instance, all museums in Ulaanbaatar will offer entrance free opportunities for foreign and domestic tourists as well as the opening ceremony of the museum in “Burkhan Bagsh Garden” will be conducted on September 27th accordingly. Elsewhere, the “Grand Tour” competition will be held among students who are obtaining knowledge of tourism management at the universities of Mongolia.

Mongolia’s tourism sector has become one of the biggest economic sectors of Mongolia which generates an income worth 222 million USD annually. As of August 2011, a total of 418 thousand foreign citizens entered through the Mongolian border; and 334 thousand of which are tourists that travel around Mongolia. The result indicates that the number of tourists has increased by 7% if compared with the same period of last year.