The United Nations General Assembly has officially declared 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism, tasking UN Tourism with guiding global efforts toward climate action, economic inclusion, and crisis preparation.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2027 as the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism, an initiative that seeks to transform how the global industry approaches its future development.
Resolution 78/260, approved in February 2024, tasked UN Tourism, the body responsible for monitoring the travel sector, with organizing and implementing this theme. The preparatory and consultative process is being developed in stages and is driven by the Member States themselves.
The outlined roadmap combines established United Nations system practices with concrete actions to strengthen observance at national and local levels. The plan invites governments, organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders to join a collaborative effort seeking to position tourism as a key driver in the post-2030 development agenda.
To achieve this goal, the initiative has set five fundamental objectives. Among them, key priorities include supporting Member States in putting sustainability and resilience principles into practical policy implementation, as well as raising awareness among the global public regarding the sector's role. Furthermore, it seeks to promote evidence-based global dialogue, strengthen the industry's institutional capacities, and achieve measurable impact by reinforcing governance and national coordination.
The action plan is structured around five thematic areas ranging from inclusive economic growth and local value creation to social inclusion, decent work, and community resilience. Special attention is also paid to environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and climate action; cultural values, diversity, and living heritage; and mutual understanding, peace, and crisis preparedness.
The Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nuwais, stressed that sustainability and resilience should not be viewed as ultimate end goals, but rather as an ongoing process. In her words, the International Year will allow the organization to support its Member States so that tourism consolidates itself as a truly transformative sector. Along the same lines, the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability (CTS) and Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica, William Rodríguez López, highlighted the unique opportunity this event represents to translate shared ideas into coordinated action. (CubaSí)