Tag Archives: UN tourism

The UAE presented the results of its global development initiatives supporting SDG8 during its participation in the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), reaffirming its commitment to promoting inclusive economic growth and decent work worldwide. Organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at UN headquarters in New York City, this year’s forum is held under the theme “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.” The UAE’s participation reflects its commitment to a development model rooted in sustainability, opportunity creation, and international partnerships that advance the 2030 Agenda. The discussion focused on mobilising private sector investment to advance sustainable and inclusive growth. Participants also explored solutions to address global skill gaps and reconfigure international trade frameworks to support development. Furthermore, the UAE delegation hosted two thematic panels. The first, “Economic Diplomacy in Action,” examined how diplomacy can foster economic resilience and stability in alignment with SDG8. The second, “Vision into Action,” explored policy frameworks that support SDG16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. H.E. Lootah, said the UAE’s model for economic growth is shaping the future of work and creating opportunities for new generations at home and abroad. He added that the UAE has succeeded in building a balanced and diversified economic model grounded in inclusiveness and sustainability, positioning the country as a key contributor to continuous development efforts and solutions to current and future challenges in line with the 2030 Agenda and beyond. H.E. Lootah emphasised that the importance of establishing global consensus around sustainable economic concepts and future work patterns, especially in the context of setting new global development goals beyond …

Her Excellency Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, Secretary-General elect of UN Tourism for the 2026–2029 term, met with His Excellency Zhang Yiming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the UAE, in Abu Dhabi. The meeting focused on advancing collaboration in the tourism sector and explored opportunities to forge partnerships that foster cultural and tourism initiatives supporting knowledge exchange and economic development in tourism and related sectors. Her Excellency Shaikha Al Nowais reaffirmed her commitment to working with global partners, particularly China, to develop strategic projects in sustainable and cultural tourism. She noted that China’s dynamic tourism industry is a key driver of tourism and cultural exchange, as well as the growth of global tourism markets. H.E. said: “We value China’s continuing efforts to drive tourism and promote partnerships in this field. We look forward to expanding collaboration in the areas of education, training, and tourism innovation through launching training programmes globally to elevate the preparedness of the tourism workforce, enrich cultural tourism experiences, and support rural community development through sustainable tourism.” During the meeting, both sides discussed several priority areas of mutual interest, including initiatives to empower local communities and opportunities to leverage China’s expertise and resources. They also explored ways to enhance tourism mobility across countries and regions through bilateral and multilateral collaboration, aligned with the United Nations’ global tourism frameworks. Both parties affirmed the importance of aligning international efforts to strengthen tourism’s role as a bridge between people and cultures, and as a catalyst for sustainable development and youth empowerment. They emphasized the need for renewed policies that embrace diversity, foster innovation, and ensure the sustainable use of resources.

TravTalkME is proud to celebrate a landmark achievement for the region and the global tourism sector: Shaikha Al Nowais, Corporate Vice President of Owner Relationship Management at Rotana, has been elected as the Secretary-General of UN Tourism. This historic appointment marks her as the first female Emirati to hold this prestigious international position. A trailblazer in the hospitality industry, Shaikha Al Nowais has long championed gender diversity and the empowerment of women in the workplace. Under her leadership, Rotana has implemented progressive policies focused on equal pay, access to education and training, and supportive workplace environments for all employees—regardless of gender. Her election not only reflects her outstanding contributions to tourism and hospitality but also signifies a bold step forward for female representation in global leadership. As Secretary-General, she is expected to bring fresh vision and inclusive leadership to the future of international tourism.

His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, attended the World Tourism Forum 2025  in Prague, organised by the UN Tourism in collaboration with the Government of the Czech Republic under the theme ‘Shaping the Future of Tourism through Innovation and Technology.’ H.E. Bin Touq highlighted how the UAE has prioritised the tourism sector as a key strategic pillar of the national economy. The country continues to strengthen its position as a leading global destination by investing in innovation, adopting latest digital solutions, and forging strategic partnerships with various countries and leading global institutions. H.E. added: “The UAE has successfully established its position on the global tourism landscape, strengthening its role in the growth and prosperity of the sector as a global hub for sustainable tourism. This was achieved through developing advanced infrastructure, enhancing innovation and integrating technology into tourism policies, and actively contributing to shaping the future of global tourism through greater international collaboration.” The Minister of Economy highlighted that participation in the Global Tourism Forum offers a significant opportunity to enhance international collaboration and exchange expertise with industry leaders and key decision-makers from around the world. H.E. added that the Forum is an ideal platform for showcasing the UAE’s success in developing smart and sustainable tourism offerings and leveraging cutting-edge technology including AI and other digital tools to drive innovation and sustainable growth of the sector. H.E. bin Touq added: “We believe that forging global partnerships and developing national talent are key to ensuring a prosperous future for tourism. We look forward to enhancing collaboration with our international partners to achieve shared goals in this vital sector.” His Excellency …

The United Nations has taken a major step in recognizing tourism’s role in sustainable development by adopting a new tourism employment indicator as part of the official Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator Framework. Endorsed at the 56th session of the UN Statistical Commission, this landmark decision means that—for the first time—global data on tourism employment will be systematically monitored within the SDG monitoring process. It also increases the number of official tourism SDG indicators from two to three, raising recognition of the sector’s global contribution to economic and social progress. What gets measured, gets done. As part of Goal 8, we strive for sustainable tourism that creates jobs. The new tourism employment indicator goes beyond GDP to enhance our understanding of tourism’s potential for social progress UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “What gets measured, gets done. As part of Goal 8, we strive for sustainable tourism that creates jobs. The new tourism employment indicator goes beyond GDP to enhance our understanding of tourism’s potential for social progress. Policymakers will be better equipped to identify gaps, address inequalities, and maximize tourism’s social and economic benefits—ensuring no one is left behind.” UN Tourism’s most recent survey of Member States’ priorities revealed a strong preference for the Organization to work towards ensuring tourism contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. The new indicator, with UN Tourism as its custodian, delivers the evidence to advance on this priority. The indicator responds to a critical policy issue in many countries. Together with the existing SDG indicator on tourism’s GDP, the new indicator offers a broader perspective on tourism’s sustainability that better considers social progress. With this recognition, tourism employment will now be officially integrated into the …

The fifty-first meeting of the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Committee for the Middle East, hosted by Qatar Tourism, concluded  in Doha and saw the participation of tourism ministers, senior officials and experts from various countries in the region, as well as the leadership of the United Nations Tourism Organization. During the meeting, they reviewed the reports of the United Nations Tourism Organization on the performance of the sector during 2024-2025, in addition to discussing future policies and plans aimed at developing sustainable tourism and enhancing regional cooperation in this vital sector. In addition to the ministerial sessions and official meetings, the “Sports Tourism and Tourism Industry after the World Cup” conference  discussed the impact of major sporting events on tourism in the Middle East, their role in the development of sustainable tourism, as well as the role of technology in enhancing the sports tourism experience. Qatar Tourism’s hosting of this meeting reflects Qatar’s growing position as a regional and global hub in the tourism industry, and its prominent role in advancing sustainable tourism development, in light of its successes in hosting major international events.

According to the latest report by UN Tourism, The Middle East, Europe and Africa see strongest results in 2024 relative to 2019. Middle East record strongest international arrivals with 95 million with international arrivals 32% above pre-pandemic levels in 2024, though 1% higher compared to 2023. Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, driven by strong demand contributing to the socio-economic development of both mature and emerging destinations. This recalls our immense responsibility as a sector to accelerate transformation, placing people and planet at the center of the development of tourism. Africa (74 million) welcomed 7% more arrivals than in 2019, and 12% more than in 2023. Europe, the world’s largest destination region, saw 747 million international arrivals in 2024 (+1% above 2019 levels and 5% over 2023) supported by strong intraregional demand. All European subregions surpassed pre-pandemic levels, except for Central and Eastern Europe where many destinations are still suffering from the lingering effects of the Russian aggression on Ukraine.

Small investments in accessibility and innovation can deliver be a game-changer for tourism destinations everywhere. But, despite 1.3 billion worldwide people already experiencing significant disability, many destinations and tourism businesses are still failing to embrace the many benefits of welcoming these travellers. The latest research makes clear the growing demand for accessible travel: Globally, 1.3 billion people already experiencing significant disability.50 million of whom live in the Middle East region alone, 1 in 6 of the population set to be aged 60 and over in 5 years’ time, Travellers with disabilities being accompanied by 2 to 3 additional clients. The new guidelines on accessible tourism, produced by UN Tourism and our partners, set out how both destinations and businesses can harness the power of innovation and investment to boost accessibility in every way. Within the European Union, more that 70% of the 80 million persons with disabilities can afford to travel and enjoy tourism. In Asia and the Pacific, the potential market size is of 690 million people and in Latin America and Caribbean this figure reaches 85 million people. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “Everybody should be able to enjoy tourism. At UN Tourism we have been advocating for accessibility for many years, and the benefits have never been clearer. The new guidelines on accessible tourism, produced by UN Tourism and our partners, set out how both destinations and businesses can harness the power of innovation and investment to boost accessibility in every way.” UN Tourism guidelines for accessible travel Accessible tourism is game-changer for improving mid- and low-season performance; its customers are extremely varied and loyal; it creates jobs and significantly improves reputation of destinations and businesses …

The 36th World Tourism Film Awards gathered leaders from the tourism and creative industries to celebrate the year’s most inspiring and innovative tourism campaigns. Held in Valencia, Spain, the event showcased the power of storytelling, honoring productions that set new standards in tourism promotion and elevated the global industry. This year’s awards recognized 27 outstanding productions from 16 countries as the World’s Best Tourism Films in the five competitive categories of City, Region, and Country Promotion, Tourism Products, and Tourism Services. These winners emerged at the top of the CIFFT Rankings, which gather the world’s most awarded tourism videos and campaigns and highlight industry trends. Switzerland Tourism led the accolades with “The Ride of a Lifetime”, featuring the charismatic duo Roger Federer and Trevor Noah. This standout campaign achieved dual recognition, winning World’s Best Tourism Film as first place in the Tourism Products category and the newest CIFFT Tourism Press Award, a special accolade defined by an international panel of travel journalists. Switzerland Tourism also claimed the first and fifth places in the Country Promotion category with two other promotional videos. Other notable winners included Visit Sweden’s viral campaign, “Sweden (not Switzerland),” which claimed second place in the Country Promotion category, and Tourism Business Council of South Africa’s “Tourism in South Africa with Trevor Noah,” which took third place. These campaigns exemplify how the use of humor can drive tourism interest and engagement on a global scale. Representing Canada, Travel Alberta took first place in Region Promotion and secured second in Tourism Products, showcasing the diversity and beauty of Alberta’s landscapes. Portugal emerged as the most awarded country for the second year in a row, with eight productions among the World’s …

According to the latest World Tourism Barometer by UN Tourism, the Middle East (+29% compared to 2019) continued to enjoy record growth this nine-month period, while Europe (+1%) and Africa (+6%) also exceeded 2019 levels. A total of 60 out of 111 destinations surpassed 2019 arrival numbers in the first eight to nine months of 2024. Some of the strongest performers in arrivals during this period were Qatar (+141% versus 2019) where arrivals more than doubled, Albania (+77%), Saudi Arabia (+61%), Curaçao (+48%), Tanzania (+43%), Colombia and Andorra (both +36%). UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The strong growth seen in tourism receipts is excellent news for economies around the world. The fact that visitor spending is growing even stronger than arrivals has a direct impact on millions of jobs and small businesses and contributes decisively to the balance of payments and tax revenues of many economies.” Global tourism set for full recovery by end of the year with spending growing faster than arrivals. Around 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally in the first nine months of 2024, as the global tourism sector recovered 98% of pre-pandemic levels. According to the report, a full recovery from the biggest crisis in the sector’s history is expected by the end of the year, despite economic, geopolitical and climate challenges. The Americas recovered 97% of its pre-pandemic arrivals (-3% over 2019). Asia and the Pacific reached 85% of 2019 levels as compared to a 66% recovery in 2023. Asia and the Pacific has experienced a gradual though uneven rebound in arrivals since the region reopened to international travel in 2023. The summer season in the Northern Hemisphere was generally strong, with arrivals worldwide reaching 99% of pre-pandemic values …