UN Tourism advanced innovation and investment as key pillars for a sustainable tourism sector at a Marrakech conference, where startups in digital tourism, gaming and gastronomy were recognised for showcasing Moroccan creativity globally.
UN Tourism has joined with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to further advance the role of data and governance in tourism development across Latin America and the Caribbean.
UN Tourism and the TUI Care Foundation’s “Colourful Cultures” initiative funds five African NGOs, empowering artisans to generate income, preserve heritage, and drive community development, marking UN Tourism’s first direct support to grassroots organizations.
The Emirates Villages Running Races, organised by the Emirates Council for Balanced Development under the patronage of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have received international recognition from UN Tourism for Social Impact in Sports Tourism.
Tourism drives global movement, jobs, and trade, but measurement lags behind growth. At the UN Statistical Commission, UN Tourism promoted global standards to improve data accuracy, enabling governments and businesses to rely on consistent, comparable tourism statistics.
UN Tourism has reopened applications for its Best Tourism Villages initiative. Since 2021, it has received over 1,000 applications from 100 countries, recognising over 230 villages and supporting 83 others across 65 countries and five global regions.
UN Tourism is moving from dialogue to action as it prepares for the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027. Mandated by the UN General Assembly, it has now launched a new Road Map, advancing its commitment to implementation.
Tourism reaffirmed its growing role in global climate action at COP30, building on the momentum from COP29. Over two dedicated Tourism Thematic Days (November 19–20), UN Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil convened a broad range of tourism stakeholders to advance solutions for a low-carbon and climate-resilient tourism sector.
UN Tourism and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) have agreed to work together to increase access to tourism education at high school level. A new Memorandum of Understanding will see the two organizations work together on a series of initiatives aimed at increasing the provision and quality of tourism education in schools globally.
The 26th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly opened in Riyadh, marking a historic first for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and the largest Assembly since UN Tourism was founded 50 years ago.
