Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Established by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, World Tourism Day (WTD) has been celebrated on September 27th every year since 1980. The 2014 official celebrations will be hosted by the city of Guadalajara, Mexico.

This year's WTD theme is 'Tourism and Community Development,' which focuses on the potential of tourism to promote opportunities for communities around the world, as well as the role that community engagement has in advancing sustainable tourism development.

Convinced that tourism is an effective tool for reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development, preserving cultural and geographical diversity, and improving the socioeconomic situation in local communities, México is committed to community tourism.

Guadalajara, the capital of the State of Jalisco, is the ideal setting in which to celebrate World Tourism Day 2014. Declared the "American Capital of Culture" in 2005, few cities reflect the spirit of Mexico as well as Guadalajara, where the country's oldest and dearest traditions live on. It is also a modern metropolis, with extensive hotel capacity as well as connectivity to the rest of the world, enabling the city to host some 350 international events annually.

World Tourism Day in Puerto Vallarta

Since tourism is one of the main activities in "Mexico's Most Authentic Port," Puerto Vallarta Mayor Ramon Guerrero Martinez and the Municipal Tourism Department will host a series of events from September 25th through 28th, in observance of World Tourism Day 2014.

The celebrations will begin on Thursday, September 25th at 7 pm, with "The Expression is in Vallarta" - the unveiling of a pictorial display in the interior hallways of City Hall, followed by a wine reception. Free admission.

On Friday, September 26th, a salsa-dancing contest, "Rhythm is in Vallarta," will be held at the Aquiles Serdan outdoor theater, better known as Los Arcos del Malecón, at 8 pm. In past years, cash prizes have been awarded to the first, second and third place winners.

On Saturday, September 27th at 8 pm, local restaurants will prove that "The Flavors are in Vallarta," via a culinary exposition to be held in the outer corridors of City Hall.

"Sport is in Vallarta" on Sunday, September 28th at 8:00 am, when a 5km touristic race will begin, and end, at the Agustín Flores Contreras Municipal Sports Stadium.

For more information on the World Tourism Day celebrations here in Puerto Vallarta, contact the Municipal Tourism Department at (322) 222-0923 or visit their Facebook page.

The official World Tourism Day celebrations in Guadalajara include a high-level Think Tank bringing together Ministers, development experts and key tourism representatives to address the relevance of a community based tourism approach as conducive to sustainable development. The Think Tank will be moderated by news anchor Gabriela Frías of CNN International, the WTD 2014 global media partner. Learn more at wtd.unwto.org.