International tourism is on track to recover almost 90% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), an estimated 975 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September 2023, an increase of 38% on the same months of 2022.

At the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), UNWTO brought together sector leaders to showcase the progress made in implementing the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action on Tourism. In time for the world's most important climate conference, the Declaration has been officially included in the Global Climate Action Portal of UNFCCC.

UNWTO has laid the strong foundations needed for countries everywhere to provide greater legal certainty to all operators in the tourism sector. The first seminar on the International Code for the Protection of Tourists (Salamanca, Spain, 30 November – 1 December 2023) welcomed legal experts, academics and public and private sector representatives, to address the achievements of the Code in the two years since its launch as well as to assess the challenges in the years ahead.

UNWTO concluded the Gastronomy Tourism Project, designed to make Ubud, Indonesia, a global hub of sustainable gastronomy tourism. Within the framework of Indonesia's annual Tourism National Coordinative Meeting, the project's final report was presented to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, and to the Gianyar Regional Government.

The UNWTO Global Conference on Wine Tourism has been held for the first time in La Rioja, Spain, one of the world's leading wine tourism destinations, focused on inclusion and sustainability for local communities and territories.

UNWTO has strengthened its collaboration with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) to improve connectivity and advance seamless travel throughout the region.

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