The 121st session of the UN Tourism Executive Council in Barcelona was attended by representatives from 47 countries, including 18 tourism ministers. Photo credit: UN Tourism
The 121st session of the UN Tourism Executive Council, held in Barcelona, Spain, highlighted the need to embrace innovation and scale up and direct investment in the tourism sector to drive a positive transformation in the sector.
The recent event brought together representatives from 47 countries, including 18 tourism ministers, to advance the organisation’s vision for the tourism industry in achieving a full recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.
“Tourism has recovered from the biggest crisis in its history. Now is the time to focus on building resilience to any future shocks,” UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said at the start of the conference.
According to UN tourism data, some 285 million tourists traveled internationally in the first quarter of 2024, up 20% from the same period last year, and international tourism receipts are expected to return to US$1.5 trillion in 2023.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. Photo courtesy of UN Tourism
“At the same time, we must ensure that tourism growth benefits people all over the world, especially by expanding access to education and employment opportunities and harnessing the power of new technologies,” Pololikashvili added.
The Secretary-General then presented a report to Members, summarizing the Organization’s achievements since the last Board meeting, with a particular focus on the shared priorities of tourism, investment in education, and accelerating innovation across the sector.
Members also adopted a work programme for the UN Tourism Agenda for Europe, which includes three projects focusing on the future of winter destinations, the regulation of short-term rental platforms and strategies to mitigate the impact of green investments on tourism SMEs.
First tourism law observatory to join growing global presence
The 121st session of the United Nations Tourism Council in Barcelona. Photo credit: United Nations Tourism
In Barcelona, the Executive Council took a major step in UN Tourism’s efforts to develop a harmonised legal framework for the global sector to boost confidence in international travel. At a recent meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Americas (Varadero, Cuba, 30 April), members endorsed Uruguay’s candidacy to host the “Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean” in Montevideo. The Executive Council approved the landmark legal home base decision and began work to expand UN Tourism’s portfolio of regional and thematic offices as it continues to move closer to Member States.
In Barcelona, the Executive Council was updated on plans for the Africa Regional Office to be opened in Marrakech and the Americas Regional Office to be established in Rio de Janeiro. To maintain the momentum, UN Tourism Leadership renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the Greek Ministry of Tourism to establish a Coastal and Maritime Tourism Research and Monitoring Centre for the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
City Tourism Agenda
Photo credit: United Nations Tourism
The UN Tourism Office recognised the management of urban tourism as one of the “pressing challenges” mentioned by the Chair and commended Spain’s leadership in promoting sustainable tourism and Barcelona for leading the way in shaping responsible and inclusive urban tourism practices. Mayor Corboni, who met with UN Tourism Secretary-General Pololikashvili and Spain’s Minister of Industry and Tourism Jordi Hereu on the sidelines of the Executive Council meeting, stressed the importance of tourism to Barcelona and also outlined possible plans to manage the growth of the sector and limit visitor numbers.
Mayor Corboni also announced plans to organize a special forum that will bring together city leaders from around the world to discuss key themes related to urban tourism and the need for greater private sector involvement. Minister Hereu also announced that the Spanish Government will present its 2030 Strategy for Sustainable Tourism at the next meeting of the Spanish Tourism Council, to be held in the coming weeks.
Towards the next Executive Board session
Finally, members confirmed the host countries for the next Executive Council meetings: the 122nd meeting will be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia; the 123rd meeting will be hosted by Spain in the first half of 2025, and the 124th meeting will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the second half of 2025.
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