A large number of high-level regional and international officials will take part in the official celebration for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2017 in Doha on Wednesday, organisers have announced.

The WTD, held under the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development,’ will bring together representatives from tourism authorities and ministries around the world to explore tourism’s contribution to countries’ long-term development and sustainable growth.

More than 20 international speakers are lined up to speak at the event, including Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organisation; Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica; Frano Matuši?, State Secretary, Ministry of Tourism of Croatia; Eugene Lenn Nagbe, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Liberia; Avedis Guidanian, Minister of Tourism of Lebanon; Selma Elloumi Rekik, Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts of Tunisia; Anna Paolini, director of the Unesco Office in Doha; representatives of the Indonesian Tourism Ministry; and Fernando Olivera, Minister of the State of Guanajuato, Mexico.

CNN International’s Max Foster will moderate the day’s panel discussions and a number of senior Qatari officials are also confirmed to speak at the full-day event being held at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

“We are very pleased to be welcoming such a large number of regional and international industry partners and prominent speakers to gather in Doha on the occasion of WTD,” Qatar Tourism Authority’s chief tourism development officer Hassan al-Ibrahim said in a statement.

“We look forward to the opportunity to benefit from other countries’ experiences as we continue on our journey to develop Qatar’s tourism sector,” he added.

The event will be held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.

The WTD celebration will also witness the launch of the Next Chapter of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030, which aims to diversify tourism products, services and visitor source markets for the sustainable growth of the sector.