Innovation and digitalization top of European tourism agenda — Photo by UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) stressed the importance of tourism and technology providing opportunities for innovation and creating the jobs of the future, in its 63rd European Commission meeting held in Prague, Czech Republic (11-13 June 2018).

As UNWTO and its European Member States gathered to set the agenda for the region, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili described the Organisations´s intention to make innovation part of the solution to the challenge of marrying continued growth with a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector.

In a strategic discussion on innovation and the digital transformation, Mr. Pololikashvili made clear his vision to create an ecosystem of government policies, funds and strategic projects that nurture disruptive ideas and entrepreneurship, for which he enlisted the help of Member States and private sector members in the region.

"Together we can set a vision that considers tourism as a policy priority, a knowledge creator and innovator, and a sector of maximum value for all", said Mr. Pololikashvili.

This year's World Tourism Day, on September 27, will focus on tourism and the digital transformation. Celebrations will take place in Budapest, Hungary and worldwide.

Also at the meeting, UNWTO outlined plans for improving skills, education and specialized tourism training under the newly-launched UNWTO.Academy, and reaffirmed its engagement with Europe to face safety and sustainability challenges related to managing large tourist numbers.

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About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.