UN Tourism and UN habitat partner for a better urban future through Tourism
The gathering, supported by the Department of Territorial Planning of the Basque Government, centered around the theme "Advancing Sustainable Urban Tourism: developing tools for promoting good practices in cities." It brought together a diverse array of experts from UN agencies, international organizations, national, regional, and local governments, academia, and the private sector. The Experts Group delved into how the tourism sector can play a role in fostering more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities while addressing the challenges associated with urban tourism.
Representatives from various cities including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bilbao, Genoa, Medellin, Porto, Valencia, Venice, and the Basque Country shared their policies and practices, fostering knowledge exchange and opportunities for collaboration. From the intersection of mandates between UN Tourism and UN-Habitat, diverse perspectives on tourism's role in enhancing the social, economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability of cities were explored.
Additionally, representatives from UNESCO, UNEP, and the OECD participated in the meeting, sharing their insights and experiences on the multifaceted topic that intertwines cities, tourism, territories, economy, environment, culture, and heritage.
The objectives and outcomes of the Expert Group Meeting were as follows:
- Identifying current challenges for sustainable urban tourism.
- Understanding the role of tourism in the Urban Agenda.
- Examining the latest trends, ongoing initiatives, policies, and plans related to urban tourism.
- Exploring innovative approaches to promoting sustainable tourism in urban contexts and territories.
- Investigating ways to integrate a sustainable urban tourism approach into policies and plans in urban and territorial settings.
Moving forward, the takeaways from the Expert Group Meeting will inform the work of UN Agencies in advancing sustainable and resilient cities and territories. They will also guide regional and local governments, as well as other stakeholders, in identifying key challenges facing urban tourism and providing them with tools and proposals to address these challenges in their respective contexts.
Furthermore, the conclusions drawn from the meeting will help shape discussions and events on sustainable urban tourism at the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF 12) in November 2024 in Cairo, Egypt, and the Mayors Forum for Sustainable Urban Tourism, led by UN Tourism
