The UN Tourism Students' League Initiative

The UN Tourism Students' League, creates an innovative environment that helps National public and private sector stakeholders to foster talent development and obtain innovative sustainable solutions for the challenges they face. This initiative empowers and motivates travel & tourism students to get involved within the industry and participate in this world students tourism league getting real-time experience from the sector by creating and presenting innovative solutions for the challenges that the sector is facing nowadays. This tool also bridges the gap between students' education and training and the realities of our sector because by working on creating these sustainable solutions, these young people then enter the labor market as highly qualified and skilled professionals capable of adapting to any situation that may arise.

Challenges are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, placing an emphasis on Goals 8, 12 and 14, in which tourism is featured and will match the SDGs requirements.

The Leagues can be launched in several different formats:

Global UNWTO Students Leagues

Teams of Students representing Schools and Universities from around the World (UN Member States) compete to create the best solution for a challenge that the Tourism sector is facing. Over 6 weeks, the students will receive online mentoring sessions from national and international experts and the top 4 Teams will conclude by competing in a Global Final 4 Competition.

National UNWTO Students Leagues

In 2022, UN Tourism introduced a new option - the National UN Tourism Students Leagues - that aim for the creation of sustainable solutions that can be applicable on a National Basis. With this format, Teams of Students from the country compete on a National basis with a 6 week-period to create their solution to a challenge during which they receive online training sessions from national and international experts and then the top 4 Teams compete in the National Final4 Competition

The Challenge will represent one of the real challenges that our sector is facing

Participants: Students in Teams of 5 from Schools/Institutions/Universities from 11 to 25 year olds in the countries that participate:

• 1^st step: Registration (dates to be published)
• 2^nd step: Launch of Challenge on UNWTO Students League Platform 
• 3^rd step: Students/Teams have 6 weeks to create their solution in English - the challenge will contain all the necessary information regarding format, length, etc to present the solution
• Online Learning sessions from national and international experts on the best practices in the field
• 4^th Step: Jury panel will evaluate and score the solutions 
• 5^th Step: Publication of Scoreboard
• 6^th step: National Final 4 competition with the 4 top Teams form the country 
• Exciting prizes for the winners