unwto world tourism organization a un specialized agency

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UNWTO becomes “UN Tourism”

UNWTO Becomes “UN Tourism” to Mark A New Era for Global Sector

As of January 24, The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) enters a new era with a new name and brand: UN Tourism . With this new brand, the Organization reaffirms its status as the United Nations specialized agency for tourism and the global leader of tourism for development, driving social and economic change to ensure that “people and planet” are always center stage.

By moving away from acronyms, UN Tourism adopts a more approachable stance and capitalizes on its strengths: the “UN”, signifying authority, and tourism, a simple and relatable concept for all. 

The new brand expression is not only limited to words and messages but also expands into a reinvented visual discourse.  UN Tourism  has a new design language starting from its symbol. “ Bringing the world closer ” is the new tagline that inspires the concept of a Pangea shaping a human figure in action.  This drastic evolution from the former globe symbol reflects the Organization’s emphasis on the dynamic nature of tourism and on putting people first.

With 160 Member States and hundreds of private sector affiliates, UN Tourism has its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and Regional Offices in Nara (Japan) covering Asia & Pacific, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for the Middle East, as well as forthcoming Regional Offices for the Americas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Africa (Morocco). Its priorities center on promoting tourism for sustainable development in line with the  UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  and its 17 Global Goals (UN Tourism Press Release, 24 January 2024) .

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UNESCO strengthens cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

UNWTO is the specialized agency of the United Nations in charge of promoting a responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

A new memorandum of Understanding was signed by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, in the margins of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in New York. The Agreement provides a framework for cooperation in a range of areas, including:

• Implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme;
• Developing transnational tourism initiatives to promote and safeguard the shared heritage of the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors;
• Identifying, developing and networking of sustainable tourism initiatives and activities in biosphere reserves;
• Promoting sustainable tourism through United Nations partnerships and initiatives, such as the United Nations Steering Committee on Tourism for Development (SCTD) and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism (GPST).

Ms Bokova thanked her UNWTO counterpart for his commitment to reinforcing cooperation between the two agencies so as to achieve a greater impact for the benefit of Member States and to strengthening system wide coherence. "I look forward to furthering this partnership on the basis of shared values and common objectives" said the Director-General.

The MoU is the third agreement between UNESCO and UNWTO, the first going back to 1979.

This renewed cooperation underlines the strength of a partnership that has existed for over three decades.

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UN General Assembly Hosts Tourism for Sustainable Development Event

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• 17 Apr 2024

The United Nations General Assembly has held a second thematic event focused on tourism and the sector’s critical role in critical role of tourism in advancing sustainable development and resilience.

Organized by the President of the General Assembly in collaboration with UN Tourism , the event was held at the UN Headquarters within the framework of Sustainability Week. The presence of Member States, Observers, civil society organizations, and UN agencies reflected a growing collective commitment to harnessing the transformative power of tourism for inclusive and sustainable development .

The growing significance of the tourism sector for our societies and our economies brings with it extra responsibility. We cannot allow the lifeline of tourism to be cut again. Resilience in the tourism is not just a matter of planning or reacting to crises.

Addressing the General Assembly, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The growing significance of the tourism sector for our societies and our economies brings with it extra responsibility. We cannot allow the lifeline of tourism to be cut again. Resilience in the tourism is not just a matter of planning or reacting to crises. It is also about proactively addressing the underlying factors of those crises. Unsustainable consumption is leading to biodiversity loss, climate change and the emergence of pandemics. It's vital that we adopt policies that accelerate transformative change.”

The President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Dennis Francis, said: "We need a global tourism sector that is sustainable – one with deep local value chains that expand demand for locally made products and services in ways that also directly and positively benefit local communities; a sector that serves as a positive force for biodiversity conservation, heritage protection and climate friendly livelihoods."

High-level platform for statistics-led strategy

The thematic event provided a platform for Member States to share best practices, strategies, and innovative approaches to promote sustainable and resilient tourism, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key highlights included:

• Fireside Chat: The Future of Tourism - Leaders from the tourism industry, academia, and civil society engaged in a dynamic discussion on the future of tourism and the need for innovative solutions to address emerging challenges and opportunities.
• Ministerial Roundtables : Discussions were held on the launch of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism and strategies for fostering resilient tourism in the face of global challenges. Ministers and high-level officials shared insights and commitments to advance sustainable tourism practices and policies.

In closing, the President of the General Assembly reiterated the importance of collaboration and partnership to address the complex challenges facing the tourism sector and reaffirmed the UN's commitment to supporting sustainable tourism as a catalyst for positive change.

In February, the UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution to declare 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism . The resolution invites UN Tourism to work with Governments, UN agencies and international organizations to on the implementation of the themed year.

New York, U.S.A.

Credit un photo/loey felipe.

Related links:

• Download News Release on PDF
• Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST)
• Sustainable tourism development
• Video: High-Level Thematic Event on Tourism - General Assembly
• Tourism 4SDGs

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a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization in the field of tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization in the field of tourism.

UNWTO is responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism geared towards the achievement of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

UNWTO offers leadership and support to the tourism sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide,  advocating for responsible tourism and promoting tourism as a driving force towards economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability.

With a current membership of 156 countries, UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics in Tourism, in order to maximize tourism´s socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts.

To find out more about the UNWTO and our work visit our official website .

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Encyclopedia of Tourism pp 1–2 Cite as

World Tourism Organization

• Noel Healy 3 &
• Sandra Carvao 4  
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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations’ specialized agency, responsible for the promotion of sustainable, responsible, and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international and the only intergovernmental organization in this field, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development , and environmental sustainability. It supports the advancement of tourism practice, policy, and knowledge worldwide by generating market knowledge, promoting competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments, and fostering tourism education and training for its members. It also provides the world’s most comprehensive collection of tourism-related statistics , including the regularly issued UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, aimed at monitoring the short-term evolution of international tourism flows (UNWTO (3 April 2014)." href="#ref-CR4" id="ref-link-section-d7953537e408">n.d. ). Its membership includes 156 countries, 6 territories, 2 permanent observers, and over 400 affiliate members, the latter representing...

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UNWTO 2014 Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals < www.unwto.org > (3 April).

UNWTO 2012 Statutes of the World Tourism Organization. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

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UNWTO (n.d.) UNWTO World Tourism Barometer < http://mkt.unwto.org/barometer > (3 April 2014).

UNWTO (n.d.) Global Code of Ethics for Tourism < http://ethics.unwto.org/en/content/global-code-ethics-tourism > (3 April 2014).

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Department of Geography, Salem State University, 352 Lafayette Street, Salem, 01970, USA

UNWTO, Capitán Haya 42, 28020, Madrid, Spain

Sandra Carvao

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Correspondence to Noel Healy .

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School of Hospitality Leadership, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA

Jafar Jafari

School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Honggen Xiao

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Healy, N., Carvao, S. (2014). World Tourism Organization. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_413-1

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_413-1

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_413-2

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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations (UN) Specialized agency responsible for the promotion of tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. The Organization’s programme of work is guided by the principles of its Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET, 1999), a key document for guiding the development of tourism and serves as a frame of reference for the different stakeholders in the tourism sector in promoting and developing tourism with a view “to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion”.

UNWTO advocates for tourism as a key driver of socio-economic growth and development and supports the development and implementation of sustainable tourism policies and practices which makes optimal use of environmental resources, respects the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provides socio-economic benefits for all.

The 2020 Session of the High-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF), organized under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), will be addressing the theme of “Accelerated action and transformative pathways, realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. During these turbulent times of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the collective decisions and actions of the UN system and the global community towards the delivering on the 2030 Agenda and the decade of action have become ever more relevant and important.