New Products and Experiences: an opportunity for mountain tourism

• All Regions
• 21 Mar 2024

Offering more diverse experiences and investing in talented people will play a key role in helping mountain areas grow tourism in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The 12th World Congress on Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism (20-21 March 2024, Andorra) identified key challenges, among them climate change and evolving consumer trends, while recognizing the role tourism can play in the protection of the fragile mountain ecosystem, the building of resilience for mountain communities, and the preservation of the local heritage. 

Five Years of Action  

Held in the framework of the United Nation’s Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions, the Congress focused on medical and wellness tourism, sustainability, the promotion of premium segments in mountain areas, emerging tourism products and the attraction and retention of human talent. 

Also on the agenda was ensuring the importance of measuring the flow of visitors to mountains, representing the vital step towards unlocking the potential of the sector, promoting evidence based policies and ensure its sustainable management, according to a UN Tourism report, jointly developed with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Mountain Partnership (MP) presented at the event. 

Opening the Congress, Prime Minister, Xavier Espot, stated: “Tourism in Andorra has recovered pre-pandemic numbers, with more than 9 million tourists and 12 million overnight stays in 2023. However, it is important to seek a balance that ensures environmental continuity and the well-being of people, moving towards a model based on sustainability to find the balance between quantity and quality. Tourism should not be perceived as a problem, but as part of the solutions to the great challenges that the future brings, because a tourism that is respectful of nature, culture and society guarantees resources for the future." 

Natalia Bayona, Executive Director at UN Tourism, recalled that “Tourism is a lifeline for many communities in mountain regions. At the same time, it can play a leading role in protecting these important ecosystems. It can provide new opportunities for conservation and drive the development of local communities. I trust that this Congress will help us move towards a better, more innovative, inclusive and sustainable growth for people and planet.” 

High-level panel looks into polices for mountain tourism development   

A high-level panel on policies that promote diversification, innovation and sustainability for mountain destinations gathered Jordi Torres Falcó, Minister of Tourism and Commerce of Andorra, Rosana Morillo Rodriguez, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain, and Alessandra Priante, President of the Italian National Tourism Board (ENIT). Participants stressed the importance of creating a strong framework that aligns all related stakeholders towards a common vision for the development of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive mountain tourism that benefits its communities directly. 

Exploring health tourism for mountain development   

As an outcome of the 2022 edition, the 2024 Congress included a new focus on health (medical and wellness) tourism, a segment where mountains can offer important added value and have a competitive advantage. This reflects the shift to diversify mountain tourism products, create demand all year around and address the demand of today’s tourist. 

Experiences in this segment were presented by speakers such as Csilla Mezősi, Secretary-General of the European Spas Association, Lászlo Puczko, CEO of Health Tourism Worldwide, Joan Muro, President of the Health Tourism Association of Andorra Health Destination and Emma Haefeli, Marketing Director of CHENOT GROUP (Switzerland). 

Tourism for rural development  

Recalling how tourism can be a driver of rural development, promoting the valorisation and preservation of local culture and values of mountain communities, the Congress also counted with the participation of representatives from three Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism: Saas-Fee of the Swiss region of Valais (BTV in 2021), St. Anton am Arlberg of Austria (BTV 2023) and Ordino of Andorra (BTV in 2023). These villages presented how they stand out in addressing seasonality by diversifying tourism products in an innovative and sustainable manner. 

Over 300 participants from 14 countries gathered in Andorra, with many also joining via livestreaming. Speakers included, among others, representatives from Slow Food Carinthia in Austria, National Geographic, l’Agence des Pyrénées, the Sustainable Alpine Tourism Initiative, Pic du Midi, the Creative Tourism Network, Mabrian (Spain), Horwath HTL, as well as leading education institutions such as CETT Barcelona and the Bella Vista Institute of Higher Education of Switzerland. 

Minister of Tourism and Commerce of Andorra, Jordi Torres Falcó, concluded: “This year we have introduced a new segment, wellness, demonstrating that in the tourism sector we evolve and adapt to new tourism trends. We also face the need to continue working to advance the Congress, allowing us to respond to the needs of the sector, providing knowledge and tools to improve the mountain tourism offer and, at the same time, become a laboratory where we can delve deeper into topics as varied as the integration of tourism in local communities, or education and training”. 

New Products and Experiences: an opportunity for mountain tourism

Andorra

New Products and Experiences: an opportunity for mountain tourism

Andorra

New Products and Experiences: an opportunity for mountain tourism

Andorra

New Products and Experiences: an opportunity for mountain tourism

Andorra

Related Links

• Download News Release on PDF
• 12th World Congress on Snow, Mountain and Wellness Tourism
• UN Tourism Report ‘Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism’

UN Tourism and WTCF Advance Data-Driven Approach to City Tourism

• All Regions
• 6 Mar 2024

UN Tourism and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) have launched a new report highlighting the need to measure the social and environmental impact of tourism on urban destinations.

The report assesses into the current situation and challenges of tourism data at the city level. The analysis will help advance the creation of global database of urban tourism, enabling better understanding and benchmarking of its size and value, both globally and by region.

More and better data needed

The new report provides an overview of the current situation of tourism data collection and reporting in 22 destinations in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. The study:

• Identifies existing indicators and relevant data, highlighting the efforts taken to pave the path towards a creation of a global urban tourism database.
• Addresses the importance of measuring impacts beyond the economic factors and adding the socio-cultural and environmental dimensions of city tourism.
• Provides an overview of the potential use of big data for measuring urban tourism, including the main challenges, with a view to enhancing key elements of a smart destination including technology and governance.

The report was launched during the 2024 edition of the leading global travel and tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin

Towards a global urban tourism database

UN Tourism, with the support of the the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other parties, is leading the development of a Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST). This will develop a common approach to building harmonized data at the national and subnational level to support the analysis of tourism activity and its sustainability at all scales.

To date, the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories has played a crucial role in helping destinations in its endeavours towards monitoring and evaluating the economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism fostering sustainable tourism practices locally and globally. 

Related links

• Download News Release on PDF
• “Quantifying tourism in city destinations: Towards a better understanding of urban tourism”
• Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST)
• UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
• ITB 2024
• Urban Tourism

UN Tourism reports openness is back to pre-pandemic levels

• All Regions
• 12 Mar 2024

UN Tourism has released its latest Tourism Visa Openness report on global visa policies, revealing continuous shifts in international travel regulations.

The report sheds light on the evolving landscape of travel facilitation. It includes the Tourism Visa Openness Index that measures the degree to which destinations facilitate tourism and how open a country is in terms of visa facilitation for tourism purposes. Also, mobility scores are included to indicate to the extent to which citizens around the world are subject to visa policies, as well as an in-depth analysis of the reciprocity of visa policies.

Key findings include¹:

Regional Openness Scores:

• Return to Pre-pandemic openness: Destinations' openness to international travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels following the lifting of COVID-19 related travel restrictions. As a consequence of the pandemic, new forms of travel facilitation, such as "nomadic visas", also appeared.
• Decline in traditional visa requirements: Fewer people worldwide now require a traditional visa to travel, falling from 77% in 2008 to 59% in 2018, and then to 47% in 2023.
• Visa-exempt travel: 21% of the world population do not need any form of visa, an increase from 17% in 2008 and 20% in 2018.
• Visa on arrival: 14% of the world population can apply for visa on arrival, an increase from 6% in 2008. and 15% in 2018.
• eVisas: 18% of the world population can apply for eVisas, an increase from 3% in 2013 and 7% in 2018.

The report looks at visa regulations for tourism by region, highlighting:

• Asia and the Pacific had the highest openness score of all world regions.
• The most open sub-regions are South East Asia, East Africa and the Caribbean.
• The greatest increase in openness since the last report in 2018 was observed in South Asia and West Africa.
• The most restrictive regions remain Central and North Africa, North America and Northern and Western Europe.
• Visa exemptions are particularly prevalent in the Caribbean and Central America.
• Visa on arrival policies is common in East Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and West Africa.
• Traditional visa requests in the Middle East decreased from 71% of the global population in 2015 to 57% in 2023.
• eVisas are prevalent in West and East Africa and South Asia.

Recommendations for streamlined travel

The report underscores the pivotal role of visa policy improvements in fostering tourism growth. Key recommendations include increased integration of tourism perspectives into visa strategies, targeted visa-exemption programs for low-risk traveler markets and expanded visa on arrival facilities. In addition, clear communication on visa policies is vital, along with a streamlined visa application process, accelerated processing times and optimized entry procedures for an enhanced visitor experience.

Related Links

• Download News Release on PDF
• UN Tourism: Travel Facilitation
• UN Tourism Visa Openness Report 2023

1 Data collection and validation took place January to May 2023.

Data, Sustainability and Collaboration the Focus as UN Tourism Returns to ITB Berlin

• All Regions
• 7 Mar 2024

UN Tourism returned to ITB Berlin, bringing its new name and look to the leading travel trade fair and uniting the sector around its focus on sustainability, investments and collaboration.

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili joined the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wenger, and other public and private sector leaders in officially opening the 2024 event. He said: “Tourism’s return means so much to so many people. Tourism is a great uniting force. Together, we are growing new areas of our sector, to build greater resilience and spread the benefits of tourism even wider.” At the opening, the event’s host, Messe Berlin was recognized for its 40 years as a UN Tourism Affiliate Member and for its key role in advancing international meetings and events tourism and fostering partnerships in the German capital.

Together, we are growing new areas of our sector, to build greater resilience and spread the benefits of tourism even wider

Under its new look and name, UN Tourism once again made ITB Berlin a top platform for high-level collaboration and for advancing several of its key priorities for the sector:

Better data for deeper transformation

UN Tourism and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WCTF) launched a joint report highlighting the need to measure the social and environmental impacts of tourism in urban destinations in a more effective and harmonized way. The report stresses the importance of embracing big data and other forms of technology and looks ahead to the creation of a first global urban tourism database.

The launch of the publication comes in the same week that all 193 UN members adopted the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST).

Accelerating Climate Action

Continuing its leading role in the One Planet Tourism Network and the Glasgow Declaration, UN Tourism launched Policy Guidance to Support Climate Action by National Tourism Administrations (NTAs). The guide will assist NTAs everywhere to develop policies and create initiatives designed to accelerate the shift towards a low-carbon sector The guide, which also contains examples of best practice, was developed after consultations with Ministries of Tourism of Member States. The guidance is complemented by a Glasgow Declaration Engagement Pack, with practical recommendations on how to get started on climate action in tourism. Also at ITB Berlin, UN Tourism officials participated in a roundtable event on Reconciling Safety and Sustainability.

Additionally, bringing together its focus on rural development, gender equality and sustainability, UN Tourism also participated in a special side event, Sustainable Rural Tourism: A Foundation for Biodiversity Preservation and Gender Equality – Potentials and Interactions, providing insights and best practice recommendations.

Working closely with Member States

Within the framework of ITB 2024, UN Tourism Secretary-General Pololikashvili held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with Ministers of Tourism and other high-level representatives from Member States from across the world. The meetings served to advance plans for joint projects and for key upcoming UN tourism events.

Related links

• Download the News Release on PDF
• UN Adopts a New Global Standard to Measure the Sustainability of Tourism
• UN Tourism and WTCF Advance Data-Driven Approach to City Tourism
• Glasgow Declaration - Policy Guidance to Support Climate Action
• Policy Guidance to Support Climate Action by National Tourism Administrations

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UN Tourism to Make Residents Focus of Thassos Island’s Tourism Recovery

• All Regions
• 11 Mar 2024

UN Tourism is to work with the Thassos Municipality of Greece to put people at the heart of work to build greater resilience for the sector on the island.

In partnership with UN Tourism Affiliate Member ICF, the United Nations Specialized Agency will engage with local tourism stakeholders and residents from across the island on a series of Technical Cooperation projects. The collaborative work will focus on several key areas, all designed to accelerate recovery from the impacts of the pandemic on island tourism and on building greater resilience against future shocks. 

Promoting Tourism on Thassos 

The project’s main scope is to support the tourism recovery efforts of the island of Thassos after the pandemic, through firstly assessing the marketing initiatives of the island of Thassos and its tourism product offer during the pandemic, and then providing recommendations on improvements. The project partners will: 

• Assess the effectiveness of marketing initiatives implemented during the pandemic, with a focus on how compatible they are to current tourism trends and demands. 
• Examine the Municipal authorities’ and local stakeholders’ views and opinions on the current tourism products of Thassos 
• Research and identify international best practices regarding marketing activities for post-pandemic and identifying both short and long-term models to be implemented for Thassos. 
• Identify the tourism markets that will be of importance to Thasos and identify ways of better engaging with them. 

Working with Local Stakeholders 

UN Tourism will also work with Thassos Municipality and ICF on the implementation of the Thassos Residents Study (TRS). The study will collect information on how local residents view and engage with tourism on the island, both in terms of the sector’s economic impact as well as its socio-cultural impacts. The study will be built around focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. The information obtained will be used for a report, to include a series of recommendations and follow-on actions if necessary. 

The project was officially launched at a kick-off event, hosted by UN Tourism in partnership with Thassos Municipality and ICF (8 March) and attended by key stakeholders. The marketing activity will conclude at the end of July, with the Residents Study to run until the end of November, with results published by the end of the year. 

Thassos stakeholders welcome UN Tourism support 

UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona says: “Along with education and capacity building, this technical cooperation project can help create a future for the sector aligned with the sustainable development Goals. Now, when up to 25% of tourism workers in the European Union have low qualifications, we need to give them tools to find innovative ways to succeed in the tourism sector, even more taking into account that 882,000 jobs in the sector will require vocational training by 2030” 

The Mayor of Thassos Island, Eleftherios Kyriakides, says: “This is a project that puts our local community at the center of the direct policies of tourism development of the island of Thassos, through synergies and collaborations, by strengthening the diversity and resilience of tourism and therefore to lay the foundations for a balanced and sustainable development of tourism sector, on our island.” 

The Head of Tourism of the UN Tourism Affiliate Member ICF, Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos adds: “The management of tourism is paramount to ensure coordination and identify and minimise potential negative impacts. The inclusion acknowledgement of residents as a key stakeholder is the right direction towards a better, more participatory governance that takes into account the interests of local communities. ICF is proud to be joining forces with UN Tourism, paving the way for a targeted tourism development that benefits both the economic and social fabrics of Thassos.” 

Related Links:

• Download News Release on PDF
• UN Tourism: Technical Cooperation

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UN Adopts a New Global Standard to Measure the Sustainability of Tourism

• All Regions
• 5 Mar 2024

A groundbreaking statistical framework, developed under the leadership of UN Tourism, has been adopted by all 193 UN member states.

The Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) thus becomes the internationally agreed reference framework for measuring the economic, social and environmental aspects of tourism.

The adoption by the UN Statistical Commission at its 55th session (27 February – 1 March 2024) marks a historical milestone towards harnessing the full potential of the sector, providing a solution to the pressing need for a harmonized methodology to effectively assess the sustainability of tourism.

"Tourism is a powerful force for positive change when managed responsibly and sustainably," says Zurab Pololikashvili, UN Tourism Secretary General. "The adoption of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism marks a paradigm shift, going beyond GDP by enabling the measurement of what matters most to people and planet."

The adoption of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism marks a paradigm shift, going beyond GDP by enabling the measurement of what matters most to people and planet

Collaborative effort

This achievement is the fruit of a seven-year UN process led by Austria and Spain as co-chairs of the UN Tourism Committee on Statistics, with Saudi Arabia and Seychelles as co-vice chairs.  Under auspices of the Committee, the Framework was developed thanks to the extraordinary work of the multistakeholder Expert Group on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism composed of 40+ countries and 30+ international and regional organizations including the UN Statistics Division, the International Labour Organization (ILO), subnational authorities and observatories, academia and others.

The work involved technical guidance from an Editorial Board chaired first by the Philippines and then by Canada, as well as extensive engagement and consultation with input from numerous pilots in countries.

The Statistical Commission expressed an overwhelmingly enthusiastic support with 34 countries, 3 world regions and international organizations taking active part in the deliberations: Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Benin on behalf of the African Group, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland on behalf of the European Statistical System, Greece, Jamaica, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities and ILO.  

Looking ahead, the Commission also welcomed the future development of an implementation programme, including a compilation guide, and called on the international donor community to support the financing for measuring the sustainability of tourism.

Established in 1947, the UN Statistical Commission gathers Chief Statisticians from Member States and international organizations, and is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities. The last time that the Commission adopted a statistical standard for tourism was in 2008, when the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account framework were presented.

Closing the gap between policy and statistics

In the margins of the United Nations Statistical Commission, Austria, Spain and UN Tourism co-organized the high-level side event “Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism: Closing the gap between policy and statistics”, in collaboration with the UN Committee for Economic-Environmental Accounting. Austria and Spain shared their vision on the importance of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism for evidence-based policy and decisions, while acknowledging its significance in upholding the relevance of statistical systems worldwide and the links to key topics like data governance and stewardship.

Mexico, the Philippines and Canada reflected on their pioneering experiences with implementing the framework, showcasing the power of integrating data from different domains and sources to distil more holistic and meaningful information on tourism.

The event raised awareness of the Statistical Framework for MST and functioned as an informative preamble to the UN Statistical Commission’s formal deliberations. 

Releted links

• Download the News Release on PDF
• 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission (all documents)
• Report of the World Tourism Organization on tourism statistics to the 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission
• Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism as presented to the 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission
• Videos of the 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, item 4a on tourism statistics: part 1
• Videos of the 55th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, item 4a on tourism statistics: part 2
• Side Event “Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism: Closing the gap between tourism policy and statistics”
• Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) programme of work
• MST Governance