Tourism leaders from every global region have met to advance plans to transform the sector against a backdrop of challenges old and new.

At the 117 UNWTO Executive Council, delegates presented the Marrakesh Call to Action undertaken to enhance and strengthen efforts to accelerate digital transformation of the tourism SMEs and to support a sustainable and resilient recovery.

The 117th UNWTO Executive Council was also the stage to launch UNWTO Startup Competition in Morocco.
We encourage Startups and Entrepreneurs from Morocco to present their ideas to innovate the Moroccan tourism sector for future generations and transform the sector into a digital one that is more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.

The session brought together Ministers of Tourism alongside leading figures from the private sector to address the biggest challenges standing in the way of smaller enterprises fulfilling their potential to drive change.

Morocco signed the Digital Futures Pledge to support 10.000 local SMEs, encourage them to participate in UNWTO Digital Futures Programme, and offer creative data-driven solutions.
Moroccan entrepreneurs will take a digital diagnostic tool, put specific training programs into place, and foster partnerships with major technology companies to accelerate digital transformation and provide creative solutions to scale up their businesses.

And the winner is.... UNWTO Startup Competition for Island Destinations
The 10 finalists went into a pitch battle at the UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures innovation forum (Gran Canaria, Spain 15-16 March).

UNWTO appointed Vice Chair of ITU-T Focus Group on Metaverse
Established in December 2022, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Focus Group on metaverse will identify technologies in areas from multimedia and network optimization to digital currencies, Internet of Things, digital twins, amongst others.

Landmark agreement for tourism and skills development
On 7 March, UNWTO & the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed an agreement, 1st of its type, to promote global education and human development in tourism through the creation of training and quality certification programmes.

• 10 Online MOOC Courses in 5 languages
• Jobs Factory and Tourism Labor Market Observatory
• UNWTO Ted.Qual Quality Certification
• Innovation and Digital Transformation programmes

Joining the World Investment for Development Alliance (WIDA)
UNWTO is now collaborating with the World Investment for Development Alliance (WIDA) for the recovery of global tourism.

From Austria to Vietnam, 32 destinations from all around the world have been named as ‘Best Tourism Villages 2022’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

UNWTO Digital Futures for SMEs Programme

Morocco becomes the first Member State in making a pledge to accelerate the digitization process of 10,000 Small and Medium Enterprises through the UNWTO Digital Futures Programme, which aims to support the digital transformation process of 1,000,000 SMEs.

Open call: entrepreneurs from all over the world are encouraged to join by registering and taking the Diagnostic Tool which will help them know with digital path should they take.  

Launch of the UNWTO Startup Competition “Invest in the development of Moroccan tourism”

UNWTO and the Government of Morocco launched this programme to seek startups creating new experiences in any of the following categories:

• Blue economies
• Natural heritage
• Cultural heritage
• Urban tourism

Deadline for candidatures: March 2023

Gastronomy Tourism Startups

Pitch round of the 3rd UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition was carried out in the 7TH UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Nara, Japan.

byFood from Japan has been selected as winner amongst all finalists from countries such as Armenia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Republic of Korea and Italy.

UNWTO Tourism Education Guidelines

 UNWTO released the 1st Tourism Education Guidelines led by its Technical Committee on Tourism Online Education.

This illustrates a 7-step roadmap to promote tourism as a catalyst for job creation and economic development.

UNWTO Women in Tech Startup Competition

Female entrepreneurs are invited to join this programme aimed at identifying startups from the 13 UNWTO Member States of the Middle East.

Top startups will join the UNWTO Innovation Network and will be able to pitch at a UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventure Innovation Forum, amongst other benefits.

Join UNWTO Tourism Online Academy
Over 20,000 people is already studying at our platform.

• International tourism and travel law
• Destination management
• Data analytics and revenue management
• Restaurant and spa operations
• Artificial Intelligence
• Many more!

Available languages: English, Spanish and Arabic.

UNWTO led a session on 'Global Best Practices & Capacity Building for Tourism Investments', emphasizing Green Tourism, & UNWTO's vision of investing in people, planet, & prosperity.

UNWTO Startup Competition for Island Destinations

This new programme seeks for startups from all walks of life and from across the globe that can offer innovative and smart solutions for island destinations.

• Deep Tech: New technologies applied to sustainability
• Innovation & Digitalization for Island Destinations

• Opportunity to Pitch at the event UNWTO Tourism Tech Adventures in Gran Canaria, Spain on 15-16 March 2023
• Mentorships by UNWTO and top partners
• Tailored support
• Scholarship opportunities for the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy

Deadline: 27 February!

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Winners of the UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge announced!

The global call for innovators to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced its 15 winners from 13 countries out of 2,000 participants from 120 countries covering all global regions.

Amongst the benefits that they will enjoy are:

• Incubation services in Les Roches Spark Innovation Center, including 3 months accommodation in Crans-Montana, provided by the Sommet Education group.
• Sponsorship provided by Wakalua to pitch at the UNWTO Demo Day (venue and country tbc).

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Tourism Tech Adventures forum in Qatar

UNWTO will host the forum Tourism Tech Adventure - Harnessing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Tourism as Tools for Sustainable Development in LDCs within the Framework of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5).

Top startups from the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition will pitch:

• Nathalie Dijkman, Founder, SEMA (Uganda)
• Shiva Dhakal, Chairperson & Founder, Community Homestay Network (Nepal)
• Nsibambi Ashirafu Kyabainze, Founder and CEO, At hause Ltd. (Uganda)

New entry! UNWTO Tourism Online Academy blog

This article highlights skills development as the key for the future of tourism, featuring programmes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has set to battle unemployment and boost talent acquisition through education.

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Partnerhip on investments with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF)

The new cooperation agreement with CAF was announced against the backdrop of the FITUR trade fair in Madrid.

The joint plans will see the two organizations work together to develop a set of comprehensive tourism investment guidelines. The guidelines will be focused on five countries, namely Ecuador, Uruguay, Panama and El Salvador in the Latin American region, as well as and Barbados in the Caribbean region.

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UNWTO Investment Guidelines - Paraguay

The latest UNWTO Tourism Doing Business – Investment Guidelines was launched in FITUR. This time, for Paraguay highlighting its economic,  investments and competitiveness outlook, including a portfolio of projects in the country.

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Destinations around the world are reporting significant advances in sustainable tourism, with timely evidence and analytics serving as key tools for transformation as the sector’s recovery continues to get underway.

New innovation challenge: ‘Innovative experiences in community-based tourism’ with the Panama Tourism Authority

We encourage all tour operators to unify their ideas to accelerate the recovery of the Panamanian tourism sector, transforming it into a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient one.

Deadline: 15 March, 2023

More information and form to apply here.

Unlock the potential of your tourism business with our Digital Futures Programme

More than 80% of the tourism value chain is created by SMEs. UNWTO Digital Futures Programme seeks to accelerate economic recovery of the tourism sector to unleash digital technologies in order to create jobs. Join today!

Save the date! UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development

In the framework of the UNWTO Global Conference that will be held in Nigeria on November 14-16, save the date for our Symposium on the Digital Futures for SMEs where we will be uncovering digital pathways to recover an inclusive development.

New partners in our UNWTO Tourism Online Academy!

We have signed an agreement with Unikemia, IESA, PUCMM University, CETT and CITY College University to continue creating quality tourism education. Follow us to keep up to date with all the upcoming courses.

Tourism Doing Business: Investing in Tanzania is out!

Known for its rich biodiversity and wildlife attractions, the country has gained international recognition for its nature-based tourism. Discover more reasons why to invest.