The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has taken steps to address financing, sustainable and inclusive tourism ahead of COP28 that will take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023 at the Expo City, Dubai.

Tourism Financing

UNWTO, in joint collaboration with NOAH Regen, has taken a further step forward in rethinking tourism financing with the launch of the UN NetZero Facility and Re-Planet Capital Fund Ecosystem. The launch of the facility on November 14, 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, marked a pivotal moment in the global campaign against climate change following the adoption of the Paris Agreement by 196 parties.

Sustainable Tourism Observatories

Members of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) met at UNWTO's headquarters to exchange insights on the importance of governance, participatory approaches and timely data in advancing sustainability in destinations.

Effective Communication

UNWTO gathered tourism officials and communications specialists of 20 countries from across Africa to explore ways to deliver more effective tourism communications and showcase the sector's role as a pillar of development.      

Human Resource Development

UNWTO welcomed high-level officials from the tourism administrations of 19 countries as it put the focus on navigating human resource development challenges in tourism in a post-pandemic world.

Accessible Tourism

The UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism was held for a second time in San Marino (November 16-17, 2023), powered by the Ministry of Tourism of Italy and in partnership with the European Accessibility Resource Centre – AccessibleEU, a flagship initiative of the European Commission. Out of it came the San Marino Agenda, a clean action plan for disability inclusion in every part of the tourism sector

Telefonica-UNWTO Join Forces

Telefonica and UNWTO will partner to promote digital, sustainable and inclusive tourism – a partnership that will run until 2026 and focus on digital entrepreneurship, innovation, application of new technologies (big data, artificial intelligence, etc) and talent development.

Qatar Tourism Awards

The inaugural Qatar Tourism Awards, developed in partnership with UNWTO, focused on three principal categories: Service Excellence, Cultural Experiences and Smart Solutions. The Community Contribution Award was a surprise category announced during the awards ceremony, recognising individual community members who have gone above and beyond to display hospitality and provide exemplary services to visitors. – TradeArabia News Service