World Tourism Day is marked annually on Sept. 27 to highlight the importance of the travel sector. The day was conceived by the United Nations to celebrate one of the world's most important industries.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has designated World Tourism Day 2021 as a day to focus on "Tourism for Inclusive Growth." The industry has been badly hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"By celebrating this day, we state our commitment that, as tourism grows, the benefits that come will be felt at every level of our broad and diverse sector, from the biggest airline to the smallest family business," Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary-general, said in his official message.

Here are some quotes, courtesy Gretastravels, to share on this day:

1. "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." – Andre Gide

2. "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all." – Helen Keller

3. "I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world." – Mary Anne Radmacher

4. "Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled." – Prophet Muhammad

5. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." –Mark Twain

6. "Surely, of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest." – Freya Stark

7. "Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind." – Anthony Bourdain

8. "A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." – Lao Tzu

9. "There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign." – Robert Louis Stevenson

10. "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." –Saint Augustine

Tourists are still visiting Spain, but many are making plans only at the last moment in fear that the travel rules will change
Tourists are still visiting Spain, but many are making plans only at the last moment in fear that the travel rules will change AFP / JAIME REINA
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