UN Tourism

The United Nations World Tourism Organization, known since 2023 as UN Tourism, is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with regional offices in Nara, Japan, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the organisation functions as a global centre for tourism policy, research, technical cooperation and capacity-building. It supports member states in enhancing tourism competitiveness, fostering innovation, advancing digital transformation and ensuring that tourism contributes meaningfully to socio-economic development.
UN Tourism promotes ethical standards, cultural sustainability and social responsibility, while also providing training and statistical services through its Tourism Academy and analytical outputs. The organisation operates in six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Origins and development

The intergovernmental organisation that later became UN Tourism was established in 1975, evolving from earlier structures dedicated to tourism cooperation. Over decades, it expanded its global mandate and operational capacity, eventually becoming the UN’s principal tourism body. Tourism experienced sustained growth in the 21st century, reaching 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2019, just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to global travel—including a 72% drop in international arrivals in 2020—UN Tourism convened the Global Tourism Crisis Committee to coordinate responses, identify recovery priorities and guide member states through the evolving challenges. Economic assessments using UN Tourism data estimated global losses of USD 604.8 billion under best-case pandemic conditions and more than USD 1.9 trillion in the worst-case scenario. A gradual recovery began in subsequent years, and by 2024 global travel volumes had broadly returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Membership and governance

UN Tourism has 160 member states, alongside six associate members—Aruba, Flanders, Hong Kong, Macao, Madeira and Puerto Rico—and two observers, the Holy See and Palestine. Associate membership is designed for territories that do not hold responsibility for their external relations, provided that the responsible state supports their participation.
A number of UN member states are not members of UN Tourism. These include, among others, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Some states have withdrawn and later rejoined, while others left for reasons such as financial concerns or political disagreements. The United Arab Emirates rejoined in 2013 after a prolonged absence. Russia announced its intention to withdraw in April 2022 and was suspended on the same day in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
In addition to state members, the organisation includes over 500 affiliate members from non-governmental, commercial and academic sectors with expertise or activities related to tourism.
Spain, as the host country, holds a permanent seat on the Executive Council. Representatives of associate and affiliate members attend council meetings in an observer capacity.

Mandate and core functions

UN Tourism serves as a global platform for dialogue among tourism authorities, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders. Its core responsibilities include:

• Policy coordination: facilitating best-practice exchanges and helping shape national and regional tourism strategies.
• Sustainable development: integrating sustainability principles into tourism planning and promoting cultural and natural heritage protection.
• Innovation and digitalisation: supporting technological solutions, start-up ecosystems and innovation hubs within the tourism sector.
• Education and training: providing professional development through the UN Tourism Academy.
• Technical cooperation: assisting countries in improving tourism governance, product development and destination management.
• Statistics and analysis: maintaining key global datasets and indicators for tourism flows and economic impact.

The organisation’s role in promoting ethics and responsibility is reflected in initiatives on cultural integrity, community engagement, gender equality and inclusive economic benefits.

Publications and analytical work

UN Tourism is a major global source of tourism knowledge and data. Its principal publications include:

• the World Tourism Barometer (quarterly), offering real-time updates on international tourism trends
• International Tourism Highlights (annual), summarising key developments and patterns
• the UN Tourism Annual Report
• the UN Tourism Declarations
• the Knowledge Network Issues Paper Series
• the Tourism Data Dashboard, providing visualised statistics on arrivals, exports, GDP contribution, seasonality and accommodation capacity.

A significant area of research concerns travel facilitation. The Visa Openness Report demonstrates how simplifying visa procedures can stimulate tourism flows. According to the 2016 report, streamlined entry processes in G20 economies could generate an additional 122 million international tourists, USD 201.6 billion in tourism exports and around five million jobs. The report also highlighted that by 2015, 39% of international tourists did not require a visa in advance—a notable increase from 23% in 2008.

Secretaries-General

Leadership of UN Tourism is provided by its Secretary-General, who oversees the implementation of organisational priorities, represents the agency within the UN framework and leads cooperation with governments and partners. Spain’s permanent seat on the Executive Council reflects its role as host country, with observers from associate and affiliate members participating in governance discussions.

Ambassadors and outreach

UN Tourism appoints a range of high-profile Ambassadors to promote its values and initiatives. These ambassadors come from sports, culture, gastronomy and business, strengthening public engagement with tourism-related campaigns. Examples include:

• Sports: Didier Drogba, Leo Messi, Andrés Iniesta
• Gastronomy and wine: Gino Sorbillo, Ramon Freixa
• Business: Michael Frenzel, Adam Goldstein
• Arts and culture: Giorgio Armani, Plácido Domingo

These figures contribute to public awareness campaigns and advocate for responsible tourism practices.

Global significance

UN Tourism plays a pivotal role in shaping the global tourism landscape. Its analytical outputs guide policymakers, its training programmes build professional capacity, and its standards influence tourism governance worldwide. By promoting sustainability, resilience and ethical practice, the organisation supports countries in maximising tourism’s contributions to economic growth while ensuring long-term environmental and cultural protection.