World Tourism Organization 1

World Tourism Organization

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the
promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It is the leading international organization
in the field of tourism, which promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and
environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism
policies worldwide. It encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism to maximize the
contribution of tourism to socio-economic development, while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is
committed to promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.
UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments,
fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for development through
technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world.
UNWTO’s membership includes 156 countries, 6 territories and over 400 affiliate members representing the private
sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. Its headquarters are located in
Madrid, Spain.

Organizational aims
The objectives of the UNWTO are to promote and
develop sustainable tourism so as to contribute to
economic development, international understanding,
peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and
observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms
for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or
religion. In pursuing these aims, UNWTO pays
particular attention to the interests of developing
countries in the field of tourism.[1]

History
The origin of UNWTO stems back to 1925 when the
International Congress of Official Tourist Traffic UNWTO headquarters (Madrid, Spain).
Associations (ICOTT) was formed at The Hague. Some
articles from early volumes of the Annals of Tourism Research,[2] claim that the UNWTO originated from the
International Union of Official Tourist Publicity Organizations (IUOTPO), although the UNWTO states that the
ICOTT became the International Union of Official Tourist Publicity Organizations first in 1934.

Following the end of the Second World War and with international travel numbers increasing, the IUOTPO
restructured itself into the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (IUOTO). A technical,
non-governmental organization, the IUOTO was made up of a combination of national tourist organizations, industry
and consumer groups. The goals and objectives of the IUOTO were to not only promote tourism in general but also
to extract the best out of tourism as an international trade component and as an economic development strategy for
developing nations.
Towards the end of the 1960s, the IUOTO realized the need for further transformation to enhance its role on an
international level. The 20th IUOTO general assembly in Tokyo, 1967, declared the need for the creation of an
intergovernmental body with the necessary abilities to function on an international level in cooperation with other
World Tourism Organization 2

international agencies, in particular the United Nations. Throughout the existence of the IUOTO, close ties had been
established between the organization and the United Nations (UN) and initial suggestions had the IUOTO becoming
part of the UN. However, following the circulation of a draft convention, consensus held that any resultant
intergovernmental organization should be closely linked to the UN but preserve its "complete administrative and
financial autonomy".[3]
It was on the recommendations of the UN that the formation of the new intergovernmental tourism organization was
based. Resolution 2529 of the XXIVth UN general assembly stated:
[The general assembly] believes that a formula that would allow agreement to be reached more readily
among governments for the establishment of an international tourism organization of an
intergovernmental, particularly to assist the developing countries would be:
(a) The conversion of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations into an intergovernmental
organization through a revision of its statutes:
(b) The establishment of operational links between the United Nations and the transformed Union by
means of a formal agreement.[4]
In 1970, the IUOTO general assembly voted in favor of forming the World Tourism Organization (WTO), based on
statutes of the IUOTO, and after ratification by the prescribed 51 states, the WTO came into operation on November
1, 1974.
Most recently, at the fifteenth general assembly in 2003, the WTO general council and the UN agreed to establish the
WTO as a specialized agency of the UN. The significance of this collaboration, WTO Secretary-General Mr.
Francesco Frangialli claimed, would lie in "the increased visibility it gives the WTO, and the recognition that will be
accorded to [it].Tourism will be considered on an equal footing with other major activities of human society".[5]

Members
As of 2013, the membership of the
UNWTO included 156 states,[6] six
associate members (Flemish
Community (1997), Puerto Rico
(2002), Aruba (1987), Hong Kong
(1999), Macau (1981), Madeira
(1995)),[7] and two observers (Holy
See (1979), Palestine (1999)).
Seventeen state members have
withdrawn from the organization for
  UNWTO member states  UNWTO associates  UNWTO observers
different periods in the past: Australia,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada,
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Panama, Philippines, Qatar,
Thailand and Puerto Rico (as an associate member). Most of them have rejoined. The Netherland Antilles was an
associate member before its dissolution.
World Tourism Organization 3

Former members are: Belgium (until

1997), Canada (until 2012),[8] Grenada
(until 1997) and Latvia (2005-2012) [9]
Non-members are: Antigua and
Barbuda, Barbados, Belgium, Belize,
Comoros, Denmark, Dominica,
Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Guyana,
Iceland, Ireland, Kiribati,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Marshall
Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New
Zealand, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, UNWTO member states sorted by their regions
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Tonga, Tuvalu, United
Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.

Additionally there are some 400 affiliate members, representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism
associations and local tourism authorities, non-governmental entities with specialised interests in tourism, and
commercial and non-commercial bodies and associations with activities related to the aims of UNWTO or falling
within its competence.

Secretaries-General
• 1975–1985 — Robert Lonati (France)
• 1986–1989 — Willibald Pahr (Austria)
• 1990–1996 — Antonio Enriquez Savignac (Mexico)
• 1998–2009 — Francesco Frangialli (France)
• 2010–present — Taleb Rifai (Jordan)[10]

Structure

General Assembly
The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization. It meets every two years to
approve the budget and programme of work and to debate topics of vital importance to the tourism sector. Every four
years it elects a Secretary-General. The General Assembly is composed of full members and associate members.
Affiliate members and representatives of other international organizations participate as observers. The World
Committee on Tourism Ethics is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.[11]
World Tourism Organization 4

Regional Commissions
UNWTO has six regional commissions: Africa, the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East
and South Asia. The commissions meet at least once a year and are composed of all the full members and associate
members from that region. Israel has been excluded from the Middle East region, and is a member of the Europe
region. Affiliate members from the region participate as observers.

Executive Council
The Executive Council is UNWTO's governing board, responsible for ensuring that the Organization carries out its
work and adheres to its budget. It meets at least twice a year and is composed of members elected by the General
Assembly in a ratio of one for every five full members. As host country of UNWTO's headquarters, Spain has a
permanent seat on the Executive Council. Representatives of the associate members and affiliate members
participate in Executive Council meetings as observers.[12]

Committees
Specialized committees of UNWTO members advise on management and programme content. These include: the
Programme Committee, the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Committee on Statistics and the Tourism
Satellite Account, the Committee on Market and Competitiveness, the Sustainable Development of Tourism
Committee, the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, the Committee on Poverty Reducction and the Committee for
the Review of applications for affiliate membership.[13]

Secretariat
The Secretariat is led by Secretary-General Taleb Rifai of Jordan, who supervises about 110 full-time staff at
UNWTO's Madrid headquarters. These officials are responsible for implementing UNWTO's programme of work
and serving the needs of members. The affiliate members are supported by a full-time Executive Director at the
Madrid headquarters. The Secretariat also includes a regional support office for Asia-Pacific in Osaka, Japan,
financed by the Japanese Government. The official languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Chinese,
Russian and Spanish.

Publications
UNWTO Annual Report:http://media.unwto.org/en/annual-reports
UNWTO Fact Sheets:http://www2.unwto.org/en/content/what-we-do
For more UNWTO Publications: http://www.e-unwto.org/home/main.mpx

Key Tourism Numbers

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourism_Facts_%26_Figures.jpg

Notes
[1] Statutes of UNWTO (http:/ / dtxtq4w60xqpw. cloudfront. net/ sites/ all/ files/ docpdf/ statutesoftheunwtoe. pdf)
[2] Jafari, Creation of the intergovernmental world tourism oration
[3] Jafari, Creation of the intergovernmental world tourism organization, 241
[4] United Nations General Assembly, General assembly – twenty fourth session, 34
[5] World Tourism Organization, WTO news, 2003, 3
[6] UNWTO members (http:/ / www. unwto. org/ states/ index. php)
[7] territories or groups of territories not responsible for their external relations but whose membership is approved by the state assuming
responsibility for their external relations.
World Tourism Organization 5

[8] Canada quits UN tourism body over Mugabe appointment (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ world/ 2012/ jun/ 01/
canada-quits-un-tourism-mugabe)
[9] Saeima approves of Latvia's withdrawal from World Tourism Organization (http:/ / www. baltic-course. com/ eng/ tourism/ ?doc=56198)
[10] UNWTO.org (http:/ / www. unwto. org/ aboutwto/ his/ en/ his. php?op=5)
[11] http:/ / www2. unwto. org/ en/ content/ general-assembly
[12] http:/ / www2. unwto. org/ en/ node/ 16/
[13] http:/ / www2. unwto. org/ en/ node/ 17

References
• Jafari, J. (1974). Creation of the intergovernmental world tourism organization. Annals of Tourism Research, 2,
(5), 237–245.
• United Nations General Assembly. (1969). General assembly – twenty fourth session.
• United Nations World Tourism Organization. (2007). About UNWTO.
• World Tourism Organization. (2003). WTO news, 2003 (3). Madrid: World Tourism Organization.
• "World Tourism Organization changes its abbreviation to UNWTO" (http://www.world-tourism.org/
newsroom/Releases/2005/december/acronym.htm). UNWTO Press and Communications. 2005-12-01.
Retrieved 2008-03-04.

External links
Media related to United Nations World Tourism Organization at Wikimedia Commons
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