Unwto News

UNWTO has opened applications for the third edition of its Best Tourism Villages initiative
Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO was launched in 2021 as part of the Organization’s work to make tourism a driver of rural development and wellbeing. To date, over 70 villages from almost 40 countries have been recognized as Best Tourism Villages.

ALULA TO HOST INAUGURAL GATHERING OF BEST TOURISM VILLAGES BY UNWTO
AlUla, the ancient crossroads of civilisations in north-west Arabia that is now emerging as a global destination for cultural and natural heritage, will be the site of the first-ever in-person meeting of representatives of the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO.

ACTIVELY SHAPING CHANGE IN TOURISM
The tourism industry is back and on course worldwide to reach pre-pandemic levels. On Tuesday at the ITB Berlin Convention, Harald Pechlaner, university professor of Tourism from Eichstätt, discussed the challenges currently facing the industry and how to deal with digitalisation, the skills shortage and a much talked-about trend, sustainability.

Antigua & Barbuda Embraced as New UNWTO Member to Drive Economic Growth through Tourism
UNWTO has identified the potential of tourism to drive economic growth and social opportunity across its newest Member State, Antigua and Barbuda.

G20 Tourism Working Group Meets Under Indian Presidency
The first meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group to be held under the Indian Presidency placed the focus on the sector’s role in in advancing the 2030 Agenda.

Visitor numbers to Dubai increased 97 per cent y-on-y in 2022
Dubai received 14.36 million international overnight visitors in 2022, an increase of 97 per cent year-on-year from the 7.28 million tourist arrivals it recorded in 2021

Authorities from Quito Turismo and the UNWTO met in Madrid with the aim of working together
María Cristina Rivadeneira, the General Director of Quito Turismo, and Gustavo Santos, head of the Americas for the UNWTO, discussed the current situation of Quito´s tourism sector and possible new initiatives to support its recovery process,

Yucatán joins UNWTO’s International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
UNWTO has welcomed Yucatán’s Tourism Observatory into its International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO).

New International Standard for Accessibility in Tourism Unveiled at Madrid’s FITUR
UNWTO, Fundación ONCE and the Spanish Association for Standardization UNE have advanced efforts to introduce a comprehensive international standard for accessibility across the whole of the tourism sector.

UNWTO, UN Women and German Partners Launch Free Online Gender Equality Training for Tourism Sector
UNWTO, in collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and UN Women has launched a free online training course focused on gender equality within the tourism sector.

UNWTO unveils ‘Best Tourism Villages 2022’
From Austria to Vietnam, 32 destinations from all around the world have been named as ‘Best Tourism Villages 2022’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

UNWTO Affiliate Members network expands with 18 new entities
The new additions also reflect UNWTO’s global mission, six from Europe; four from the Americas; four from Asia and the Pacific; two from Africa and two from the Middle East.