The United Nations World Tourism Organization - was founded in 1925 but it was not until 2003 that it was establed as a specialized agency of the UN. The UNWTO secretariat and headquarters are located in Madrid.

Activities

UNWTO serves as a global forum for the development of responsible and sustainable tourism, paying particular attention to the interests of
developing countries. The aim of the work is to

• increase understanding for different peoples and civilizations
• increase knowledge about different cultures
• encourage economic growth and sustainable development.

Global Code of Ethics for Tourism

UNWTO initiated The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET). It was officially recongnized by the UN General Assembly in 2001 and serves as a set of principles for responsible and sustainable development of world tourism. The World Tourism Organization works to promote the follow-up of these principles.

Structure

The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the UNWTO. It meets every two years to approve the budget and programme of work, as well as to debate vital issues. The six regional commissions enable member States to maintain contact with one another and with the Secretariat between sessions.

The Executive Council is responsible for ensuring that the Organization carries out its work and adheres to its budget.

The specialized committees give advice of management and programme content.

More on UNWTO/UN Tourism

• The UNWTO website provides background information, news, statistics and full text publications.
  • eLibrary. UNWTO publications and statistics on tourism and related subject areas.
  • Tourism 4 SDGs. Tourism and the Sustainable Global Goals.
  • Tourism Statistics Database