As the United Nations specialized agency leads the restart of global tourism following the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, three virtual events brought together voices from across the sector at the leading trade fair. Against a backdrop of ongoing uncertainty, UNWTO outlined a positive narrative for tourism, stressing its historic ability to lead from the front […]
Tag Archives: UNWTO
UNWTO invited the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to contribute to the UNWTO Inclusive Recovery Guide, Issue 2: Cultural Tourism. This is the second set of guidelines relating to the socio-cultural impacts of COVID-19 issued by UNWTO and will continue to be revised, as the situation evolves. The publication draws on the insights […]
Over the course of two days, a regional virtual workshop analyzed the importance of tourism data for supporting the sector in the present and helping tourism to restart in the Caribbean in a timely and sustainable manner. The workshop brought together around 130 participants from 23 States, including the leaders of National Tourism Administrations, National […]
The competition, which was supported by the United Nations Innovation Network, attracted some 10,000 initial proposals. From these, the jury chose 25 winners from 18 countries, highlighting the array of tourism talent in every global region and its widespread ability to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Shortlisted finalists were judged according to criteria […]
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Kingdom of Morocco met to advance the organization of the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in October 2021, the first global high-level United Nations event to be held since the beginning of the pandemic. Led by the Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, a delegation from UNWTO has concluded an official visit to Morocco to discuss […]
According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues – more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them […]
Saudi Arabia’s northwestern AlUla Governorate which hosted the 41st summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday, including top leaders from the GCC’s six member-nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. AlUla is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, and it tells the story of human […]
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has awarded its UNWTO.QUEST Certification to Fundació Mallorca Turisme. The award further advances UNWTO’s work to promote and recognize excellence and quality in destination management for the benefit of the whole of the sector. At the same time, it boosts competitiveness in Mallorca, one of Europe’s top destinations, and emphasizes […]
Not so good news for the international tourism scenario. The recent survey research conducted by UNWTO points out that the revival of International Tourism will not be possible until the last quarter of 2021 and could even get stretched to 2022. Mr. Suman Billa, Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Route, UNWTO while revealing the summary […]
The cost of the restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is there for all to see. Between January and May, the sudden and rapid fall in tourist arrivals cost an estimated $320 billion. That’s three times greater than the impact of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 on our sector – and […]
The responsible restart of tourism is underway around the world as growing numbers of destinations ease COVID-19 related travel restrictions and adapt to the new reality. According to the latest analysis from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 40% of all destinations worldwide have now eased the restrictions they placed on international tourism in response to […]
Governments have a duty to put the wellbeing of their citizens first. At the same time, they also have a responsibility to protect livelihoods and businesses, says World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary Zurab Pololikashvili. This goes hand-in-hand with a responsibility to preserve the spirit of international solidarity that has characterized our response to this shared […]
Over the past month, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was able to hold virtual meetings of its five regional commissions to share responses to the challenge of COVID-19 and their plans for the restart of tourism in the wake of the pandemic. The annual series of meetings got underway with the regional commission for Africa, […]
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has appointed two new special ambassadors as it leads the restart of the sector across Europe. UNWTO has named renowned fashion designer Giorgio Armani and celebrated chef Gino Sorbillo as its latest special ambassadors for tourism. In their new roles, both the special ambassadors will draw on their status and […]
Recovery and resilience were the central themes as the members of the World Tourism Organization’s Regional Commission for Africa (CAF) met to reflect today’s extraordinary circumstances. The meeting held virtually, brought together ministers of tourism from across the region with representatives of the African Union, the West African Monetary Union and even from the private […]















