The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department is pleased to announce the release of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road: Tourism Opportunities and Impacts", a publication developed by UNWTO with the kind support of Beijing Sunny International Communications.

Developing Silk Road tourism synergies is part of IDC’s technical portfolio. Upon Member State interest, UN Tourism engages with public and private stakeholders and development partners on a local, regional, national and transnational sphere to develop Silk Road heritage for tourism purposes.

Tourism has a pivotal role to play in achieving the objectives at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the commitments to gender equality and the empowerment of women of Sustainable Development Goal 5.

The convergence between tourism and culture, and the increasing interest of visitors in cultural experiences, bring unique opportunities but also complex challenges for the tourism sector.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023), 1.3 billion people - about 16% of the global population - experience significant disability. Accessibility for all to tourism facilities, products, and services should be a central part of any responsible and sustainable tourism policy. Accessibility is not only about human rights. It is a business opportunity for destinations and companies to embrace all visitors and enhance their revenues.

The UN Tourism Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics, the first international convention of UN Tourism, was adopted, in the five official languages of the Organization, by the UN Tourism General Assembly at its 23^rd session held in San Petersburg, Russian Federation, September 2019, through resolution A/RES/722(XXIII) .

Wetlands are home to some of the richest biodiversity on the planet and the ecosystem services they provide play an essential role in sustainable development impacting directly the lives of millions of people worldwide, most especially the poor, who depend on the essential ecosystem services wetlands provide.

Tourism is a socio-economic pillar of SIDS and shall drive sustainable development and resilience. UN Tourism is committed to support the implementation of the Antigua & Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).