Tourism leaders from across the world have met again to shape the sector’s future, emphasizing the sector’s vital economic importance while also placing it firmly on the political agenda.

UN Tourism is to host its first Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, advancing its work to make gastronomy tourism a pillar for sustainable and inclusive growth across the region.

UN Tourism and the German Federal Government have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation, with a focus on gender equality, sustainability and greater safeguarding of tourists.

UN Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the sector’s resilience and increasing its importance for inclusive development in Small Island Developing States. 

China has recovered its position as top spender on international tourism in 2023 as Asia and the Pacific consolidates its recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2022, the list of top spenders was headed by the United States. France, Spain and USA took the top spots for most-visited destinations.

While 95% of national tourism policies acknowledge nature as a primary asset for tourism, actual detailed plans for sustainable management practices are often lacking, a new report from UN Tourism reveals.

With six years to go for the deadline of the Global Goals, UN Tourism Secretary-General has called for a people-centered transformation of tourism.

International tourist arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to UN Tourism, more than 285 million tourists travelled 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.