News
15 May 2013 International tourism receipts grew by 4% in 2012
Receipts from international tourism in destinations around the world grew by 4% in 2012 reaching US$ 1075 billion. This growth is equal to the 4% increase in international tourist arrivals which reached 1035 million in 2012. An additional US$ 219 billion was recorded in receipts from international passenger transport, bringing total exports generated by international tourism in 2012 to US$ 1.3 trillion.
25 April 2013 UNWTO organizes first ever World Tourism Day Essay Competition
18 April 2013 Tourism can build better understanding between cultures says President of Turkey accepting the UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism
The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, underscored the contribution tourism can make to peace and mutual understanding when presented the UNWTO / World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Open Letter on Travel and Tourism. By accepting the Open Letter, President Gül adds his voice to those world leaders which rally support for tourism as a key for growth and fairer development (Ankara, Turkey 28 March 2013).
5 April 2013 UN Tourism and Crime bodies to call on tourists to play a role in reducing illicit trafficking
In the presence of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today agreed to launch a new public awareness campaign calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime.
4 April 2013 China - the new number one tourism source market in the world
China’s expenditure on travel abroad reached US$ 102 billion in 2012, making it the first tourism source market in the world in terms of spending. Other emerging markets as well as most traditional tourism source markets also showed positive results in 2012.
4 April 2013 UNWTO hosts meeting of the UN Chief Executives Board
Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of becoming a specialized UN agency, UNWTO hosts the spring meeting of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) (Madrid, Spain, 5-6 April 2013).
3 April 2013 UNWTO European Member States debate the way forward for tourism in the region
UNWTO European Members States, gathered in Çesme, Turkey, for the 55th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe, debated the state of tourism in the region and the way forward under the current economic situation. Topics on discussion included visa facilitation and the promotion of domestic tourism as means to stimulate growth (27 March 2013). 
18 March 2013 ICAO and UNWTO Affirm Cooperation on Joint Aviation and Tourism Goals
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and UNWTO signed a special Joint Statement on Aviation and Tourism today, acknowledging the intention of the two UN agencies to begin cooperating more closely on issues of common priority.
14 March 2013 UNWTO welcomes travel facilitation measures by Jamaica
UNWTO welcomes Jamaica’s decision to waive visa requirements for Eastern European nationals and to extend indefinitely the current visa waiver system for some Latin American nationals. These important policy steps are in line with UNWTO’s call for countries worldwide to revise their visa regulations and procedures underscoring the close links between visa facilitation and economic growth through tourism.
7 March 2013 Indonesia’s future generation pledges tourism leaders to fight climate change
School kids from Pangandaran, Indonesia, have urged global tourism leaders to take climate change seriously. The 451 participants of the Mangrove Ambassadors Programme voiced out through a selection of 24 “Letters to Leaders” how climate change is affecting their daily lives at one of the most popular tourism destinations in Indonesia. The Ambassadors Programme is part of a joint project by UNWTO and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, supported by  the Government of Germany, to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation measures (6 March, Berlin, Germany).