Source: UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has joined the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA) and the Spanish region of Galicia in the north of the country (Axencia Turismo Galicia) to announce plans for this year’s "International Congress on Thermal Tourism”, which kicks off on World Tourism Day (27-29 September in Ourense, Galicia).

To coincide with the announcement, UNWTO and its Affiliate Member, the EHTTA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at further promoting thermal tourism and its benefits.

The Association´s President , Manuel Baltar, said: “The growing demand for open-air and nature-based tourism activities after the pandemic makes thermal tourism an important segment for the future”.

The President of the Regional Government of Galicia and head of the Axencia Turismo Galicia, Alfonso Rueda added: "Galicia is the first thermal destination in Spain and the second in Europe, with admirable thermal stations such as Ourense”.

Thermal Tourism is closely connected to the natural and cultural environment and represents one of the most valuable forms of sustainable tourism. As well as promoting health, well-being, learning, entertainment and mindfulness, it also supports jobs and promotes social opportunity, including in rural destinations. UNWTO is committed to promoting thermal tourism as a powerful tool to contribute to safeguarding the world's cultural and natural heritage as well as to provide socio-economic benefits, including the revitalization of rural areas and the creation of stable employment and income-earning opportunities.

The UNWTO Affiliate Members will be part of the official World Tourism Day celebration, due to be held in Bali, Indonesia (27 September), bringing the voices of business, academia and civil society to conversations around this year’s theme of “Rethinking Tourism”.

RELATED LINKS

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.

UN Tourism Communications Department
+34 91 567 8100
UN Tourism