UN Tourism and the TUI Care Foundation announced partnership for a joint project, Colourful Cultures, to support artisans and uplift communities. The initiative will fund five African NGOs to empower local actors to generate income, protect heritage and shape their own development. It represents a landmark moment for UN Tourism as, for the first time, it provides direct financing and technical...

UN Tourism has officially launched the call for applications for its prestigious Best Tourism Villages 2026 initiative, inviting National Tourism Administrations (NTAs) to submit candidates that exemplify tourism's role as a catalyst for rural prosperity and sustainability. Since its launch in 2021, the initiative has attracted more than 1,000 applications from 100 countries...

International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew by 4% in 2025, as most destinations worldwide posted solid results. According to the first World Tourism Barometer of the year, an estimated 1.52 billion international tourists were recorded globally in 2025, almost 60 million more than in 2024. The numbers are said to reflect a return to pre-pandemic growth trends, closer to the 5% avg...

UN Tourism and the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB) have agreed to work together to increase access to tourism education at high school level

These include growing revenue by reaching a broader customer base, strengthening brand reputation, and planning cost-effective improvements to boost accessibility.

Results reflect sustained travel demand throughout the year despite high inflation in tourism services and mixed traveller confidence due to geopolitical and trade tensions. Some of the highest growth rates in arrivals in January-September 2025 were recorded in Brazil, Vietnam and Egypt, as well as Ethiopia and Japan.

The G20 economies represent around 70% of international tourism, and so this clear recognition of our sector’s importance to shared prosperity and sustainability is hugely welcome

Professor Novelli is an acknowledged expert in tourism and international development and serves as the Director of the Sustainable Travel and Tourism Advanced Research Centre at Nottingham University Business School.

The new partnership broadens CME’s mission, adding music tourism to CME’s work with other parts of the music economy, where it is establishing the path, partnerships, and policies to accelerate the role and impact of music to eradicate poverty by driving growth, creating jobs, and improving local economic conditions.

Meeting in Riyadh, the Organisation’s General Assembly formally ratified her nomination and showed their strong support. She will begin her term at the start of 2026, having gained significant experience in the private sector, most notably as Corporate Vice President at Rotana Hotels.