General Assembly - Twenty-Sixth Session

UN Tourism and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have launched the UN Tourism Awards for Excellence in Sustainable Sports Tourism powered by FIA.

Women’s empowerment is being placed at the heart of tourism development through a new collaboration between UN Tourism and the Almaty Tourism Bureau.

Malta has become the 29th country globally, and the 6th in Europe, to adhere to the International Code for the Protection of Tourists (ICPT). The move marks a significant step in strengthening global commitments to travellers’ rights and consumer protection.

UN Tourism celebrated World Tourism Day 2025 in the historic city of Melaka, Malaysia, under the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation.” This global Day of Recognition for the sector and its vital importance marked a pivotal moment in advancing tourism as a catalyst for positive change, resilience, and sustainable development worldwide.

The 19th UN Tourism/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook gathered key sector stakeholders from governmental institutions, private sector and academia to explore the need for research and data driven policies to build a smart and sustainable tourism ecosystem.

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is set to establish a Tourism Law Observatory for the Middle East. This pioneering initiative will support the development and harmonization of legal and regulatory frameworks for tourism across the region.

The UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has stressed that “strengthening multilateralism through tourism will deliver results in socio-economic inclusion, sustainable development, peace and understanding”.

UN Tourism has launched the Social Innovation Challenge, a global call to empower and accelerate startups and scaleups that implement sustainable, inclusive, and green solutions for social Impact. The initiative is powered by strategic partners: Plug and Play as the technology partner, the Sommet Education Foundation as the education partner, the non-for-profit entity from world leader in Hospitality Education with its prestigious education institutions – Glion Institute of Higher Education, Les Roches, École Ducasse, Invictus Education and Indian School of Hospitality, and TORNUS Agency as the branding and communications partner.

UN Tourism has connected public and private sector leaders to highlight the enormous opportunities of investing in Africa’s growing tourism sector.

UN Tourism held the first Workshop on Wellness Tourism in the Middle East, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and developing innovative, wellness-focused tourism products.