world tourism organization
International Tourist Arrivals Hit 96% of Pre-Pandemic Levels Through July 2024
World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) | September 20, 2024
International tourism bounced back to 96% of pre-pandemic levels in the seven months through July 2024, driven by strong demand in Europe and the re-opening of markets in Asia and the Pacific. According to the latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism, around 790 million tourists travelled internationally in the first seven months of 2024, about 11% more than in 2023 and only 4% less than in 2019. Data show a strong start to the year, followed by a more modest second quarter. Results are in line with UN Tourism’s projection of a full recovery in international arrivals in 2024 despite ongoing economic and geopolitical risks. UN Touri...
International Tourism Reached 97% of Pre-Pandemic Levels in the First Quarter of 2024
UN Tourism | May 21, 2024
International tourist arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to UN Tourism, more than 285 million tourists traveled internationally in January-March, about 20% more than the first quarter of 2023, underscoring the sector’s near-complete recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2023 international tourist arrivals recovered 89% of 2019 levels and export revenues from tourism 96%, while direct tourism GDP reached the same levels as in 2019. UN Tourism’s projection for 2024 points to a full recovery of international tourism with arrivals growing 2% above 2019 levels. In line with this, the...
UN Adopts a New Global Standard to Measure the Sustainability of Tourism
UN Tourism | March 6, 2024
A groundbreaking statistical framework, developed under the leadership of UN Tourism, has been adopted by all 193 UN member states. The Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) thus becomes the internationally agreed reference framework for measuring the economic, social and environmental aspects of tourism. The adoption by the UN Statistical Commission at its 55th session (27 February – 1 March 2024) marks a historical milestone towards harnessing the full potential of the sector, providing a solution to the pressing need for a harmonized methodology to effectively assess the sustainability of tourism...
UNWTO Becomes “UN Tourism” to Mark A New Era for Global Sector
January 25, 2024
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) enters a new era today 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. To achieve this goal, UN Tourism engaged the services of Interbrand, the leading global branding agency. Interbrand successfully translated the Organization’s renewed vision for tourism into a new visual identity and brand narrative. This involved renaming the Organization, trans...
UNWTO and Infecar Launch Startup Competition for Technologies and Solutions in Hotels and New Business Models
the UNWTO Startup Competitions | December 4, 2023
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is joining with Infecar (Feria de Gran Canaria) to identify entrepreneurs playing a key role in reshaping the hotel and new business model landscapes. The UNWTO Startup Competition for Tourism Technologies and Solutions in Hotels and New Business Models is open to any startup or entrepreneur worldwide. The competition will award 10 finalists with the best solutions in the categories of Innovations in Digital Hospitality and Business Models, and Sustainability Impact. Innovation and technology in the hospitality industry redefine the very essence of the guest experience, transforming hotels into hub...
New Data Shows Investment Returning to Global Tourism Sector
UNWTO | September 14, 2023
Investment in the global tourism cluster has started to bounce back from the lows it touched during the pandemic off the back of the steady recovery of international tourist arrivals, according to a newly released report jointly produced by UNWTO and fDi Intelligence. The report, which is based on data from fDi Markets, fDi Intelligence's proprietary database of greenfield FDI projects, as well as international tourism data from UNWTO, provides a broad overview of the ongoing investment cycle in the tourism sector, breaking down investment figures by region, segments and companies. Key findings include: Both FDI project numbers and job ...
Tourism for Sustainable Development in the Spotlight at UN High-Level Forum Event
UNWTO | July 13, 2023
This week will bring tourism back to the United Nations headquarters to emphasize the sector’s unique position to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Reflecting the unprecedented relevance of tourism on the UN agenda, UNWTO together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Republic of Croatia and support from Ministry of Tourism, India, Chair of the G20 Tourism Working Group will gather leaders from the public and private sectors for a high level roundtable at the official side event on “Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism" which will be held on Friday 14 July within the framewor...
Women Take ‘Centre Stage’ in Tourism Development
UNWTO | March 8, 2023
To mark International Women’s Day, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and UN Women have jointly reaffirmed their commitment to keep women’s empowerment ‘Centre Stage’ of tourism development. Tourism as a gender equality leader UNWTO research has previously shown the enormous potential of the tourism sector to empower women of all backgrounds. Fifty-four per cent of the global tourism workforce is female, the gender-wage gap is lower in tourism, and the proportion of women in leadership roles is higher than in other sectors. However, much progress is still to be made. Women are still concentrated in lower-paid, precarious ...